ED-MEDIA 2008 paper: Sick at South Shore Beach: A Place-Based Augmented Reality Game as a Framework for Building Academic Language in Science.

Abstract: Recent research on Augmented Reality (AR) gaming suggests that place-based AR games embedded in larger curricular units provide contexts, experiences and scaffolding that help develops students’ understanding of domain specific language in science. Using a socio-cultural view of learning, this project explores the potential of one specific place-based AR gaming unit, Sick at South Shore Beach, to develop students’ academic language related to environmental science and scientific argumentation. It examines specific game design features aimed at facilitating scientific language development and discusses how lessons learned during classroom implementations will be used to inform future AR designs.

Jim Mathews is part of the Games, Learning and Society group at the University of Wisconsin. The MIT-developed outdoor AR engine used in his project is GPS-, map- and role-based. Features: location awareness, content delivery.

Sick at South Shore Beach is a place-based augmented reality curriculum:

• 10-15 days to “play”
• Learners have to investigate why people are getting sick at South Shore Beach– it is a game of scientific investigation, detective-style.
• To make the game experience authentic, the learners complete sign-up forms on the fictitious company’s letterhead, get emails from their “bosses”, etc.
• Aimed to improve science language
• Based on theory of situated learning

Iterative design cycle to iron out kinks in the game:

1. Spring implementations
2. Teacher workshops
3. Fall implementations
4. Teacher workshops

Very initial findings:

• Learners were motivated to use and develop specialist language
• Field experiences helped deepen learners understanding (especially English language learners)

Lessons:

• The game is more appealing to some learners than others.

Challenges:

• How to assess this sort of intervention?
• Are the learnings transferable to other learning areas?

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Author: James Mathews, University of Wisconsin, USA

ED-MEDIA 2008 paper: Playing to Learn: Guidelines for Designing Educational Games.

Abstract: Using computer games and games in general for educational purposes offers a variety of knowledge presentations and creates opportunities to apply the knowledge within a virtual world, thus supporting and facilitating learning processes. An innovative educational paradigm such as game-based learning, and guidelines for educational game design are discussed in the first part of the paper. The second part of the paper provides an example of a multi-user collaborative learning platform, “The Training Room”, and outlines the game concept employed.

• Author has built on the Garris model of game building.
• Many COTS are not historically factual or follow scientific laws (because they don’t want to employ those content experts).
• For a game to be immersive, it must be fun and/or challenging. Otherwise it’s just homework!
• 40% of students at Graz University in Austria do not like computers, the internet and games.
• He demo’d The Training Room, a flash-based scenario-based game where the story is created by the moderator. Each team needs some information from another team, but there is much distrust between them because of ulterior motives and cultural differences. It’s a negotiation game between the Vulcans, the Shadows, the Narns, etc. with consensus needing to be reached on five goals. The designers used characters from existing fiction, e.g. Star Trek. The players need to find out info about their team from the web, e.g. Vulcan on Wikipedia.

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Authors: Paul Pivec (website) ; Maja Pivec

ED-MEDIA 2008 paper: Social Constructivism in Games Based Learning in The South African Context.

Abstract: This research investigates the use of computer video games in teaching and learning of learners from disadvantaged communities and is guided by the design experiment/development research paradigm, which calls for a pragmatic epistemology that regards learning theory as being collaboratively shaped by researchers and practitioners with the overall goal of solving real problems. Participating schools are Buhlebemfundo Secondary, Qhakaza High and University of Zululand. Vygotsky’s social constructivism which views learning as a social construct mediated by language grounds the study. Firstly, the study examines the effectiveness of an adventure game Zadarh to overcome misconceptions related to photosynthesis and respiration. Secondly, yKhozi, a 3D virtual world adventure game, is utilized to determine if games, when used as mediating artefacts in a social context, support the development of educational literacy and communication skills. Finally, the study concludes that computer games are effective learning tools if designed to inculcate social interactions and dialogue.

(Note: much of these notes are taken directly from the authors’ presentation.)

The context for the study:

• In South Africa (SA) the high school curriculum does not prepare students to cope at tertiary level
• The education policy has changed from one that is content-driven to a constructivist-based OBE
• But, the use of ICTs is still limited to and associated with the previously advantaged

Learning games:

• Computer video games could support contemporary learning activity designs and foster intellectual growth (Prensky 2001; Gee, 2003)
• It is in provoking and harnessing emotions such as satisfaction, desire, anger, excitement and pride in achievement, within the player that games software can benefit education (BETA, 2004)
• But implementation of these technologies could be challenging in impoverished teaching and learning situations

Image: Thato Foko presenting, with co-author Alan Amory on the left.

The aim of the research was to investigate the use of computer video games by learners from disadvantaged communities in teaching and learning, based on a social constructivist framework. Two games were used.

Iteration 1: Playing Zadarh individually:

• Zadarh is an adventure game designed to provide learning resources that address specific misconceptions related to photosynthesis and respiration, evolution, Mendelian genetics and 2D/3D visualization
• The study investigated the effectiveness of Zadarh to overcome these misconceptions
• Three groups were set up: Qhakaza High School (Qhakaza), Buhlebemfundo Secondary School (Buhlebemfundo), First year Business Information Systems from the University of Zululand (UniZulu)
• Qhakaza and Buhlebemfundo learners were unfamiliar with computers while all UniZulu students were computer literate
• Learners played Zadarh  between 8-10 hours over a number of weeks
• After play participants answered a multiple choice instrument on photosynthesis and respiration
• Results:
  • Misconceptions appear not to be overcome by only playing educational games
  • Qhakaza, Buhlebemfundo and Tholokuhle learners did not improve after playing Zadarh for many hours over a number of weeks
  • Learners while playing memorised solutions to puzzles as explained by those who were able to solve them
  • Learners gave the correct answers, but not for the correct reasons
  • Learners enjoyed playing the game
• As Adams (1998) found in the same study done previously, there is a need to change the learning strategy for improvement to be realised

Iteration 2: Playing Zadarh in groups:

• Using Zadarh in groups to address the problem of rote learning
• Only Qhakaza learners participated in this iteration (a new group of learners, though)
• Learners were asked to work together during play and in answering the research instrument
• A group of 13 learners from Qhakaza played Zadarh in pairs
• During play learners navigated the game and decisions were negotiated and support sought from the researchers
• A group of ten learners took a written test while another group of 3 did the oral test
• The researchers gave learners taking the oral test some limited help by way of clarifying questions
• Results:
  • The results were analysed using the non-parametric statistical test because of the small sample size
  • After playing Zadarh in groups learners overcame many of their misconceptions
  • 75% of those taking the written test gave correct answers and 42.5% of them provided the correct reasons
  • 90.5% of those taking oral test provided correct answers, 50% of them gave the right reasons
  • There is a big improvement from iteration 1 where Qhakaza learners working individually 57.9% gave correct answers and 29.4% provided the right reasons for their answers
  • Findings:
  • These results confirm the important assertions made by some scholars that working in groups improve student’s critical skills
  • When peers work together, modeling, cognitive disequilibrium, feedback and perspective emerge as students explain and receive explanations from their colleagues (Cooper & Robinson, 2002)
  • The argument that computer video games can act as a more knowing mentor and thus affect the Zone of Proximal Development (Gee, 2003) is only applicable when social interactions are included in the learning process
  • Results also indicate that computer video games, as mediating tools, support development of specific knowledge in students in disadvantaged learning environments
  • However, the unintended learning consequences of playing games by such students are not understood

Based on the learnings of the first two iterations, a new game was used that involved social interaction between students.

Iteration 3: Using yKhosi to improve literacy and communication skills:

• yKhozi is used to determine if games, as mediating artefacts in a social context, support the development of educational literacy and communication skills (visualization, logic, numeracy, and language
• yKhozi is a social constructivist microworld 3D virtual world adventure game
• yKhozi includes a number of knowledge domains “each centred around an aspect of South African heritage or culture”
• yKhozi is used to address: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and cancer
• 55 Buhlebemfundo Grade 12 learners [2005] played ?Khozi in groups and answered questions in groups
• Literacy and communication skills results were compared to those of 2003 cohort [part of a baseline study]
• To ensure that the two groups [2005 & 2003] were similar their Grade 11 overall and English final examinations results were compared and were found to be similar
• Learners played ?Khozi for approximately 16 hours over a period of 4 weeks (they were bussed to the university on weekends to play the game)
• Learners played and discussed both questions and answers in groups of three
• Results:
• Visualisation, numeracy and logic, and communication skills improved in 2005 when playing the game in groups, as compared with those skills in 2003 when learners operated individually

Conclusions:

• Results of this study reflect the poor functional skills that many young South Africans bring to tertiary institutions
• Careful examination of Zadarh suggests that while participants appeared to advance through the game, they were not solving problems themselves but reverted to the predominant mode of learning (non-constructivist and based on memory recall)
• However, the results suggest that learning is a social activity and it is through dialogue (Vygotsky, 1978) that misconceptions can be overcome
• The yKhozi study revealed that this game was effective in enhancing student performance and in promoting learning skills when players were able to work in groups to solve problems presented during game-play
• The success of yKhozi stems from its inclusion of social dialogue and interaction, cooperation and assistance from others, including the principle researcher
• Computer games are effective learning tools if designed to promote and to inculcate social interactions and dialogue among learners and between learners and teachers. Peer-to-peer learning and teaching is the first level of social learning and, when stuck, the teacher enters the dialogue. In these studies the researcher, Thato, was the most knowledgeable agent that learners ultimately turned to. He moved them back into the Vygotskyan zone of proximal development.
• Learners who might have struggled, had the opportunity to query other learners and verbalise their opinions
• The inculcation of social dialogue in the classroom is fundamental to improved performance

An extremely interesting study. I asked Thato if the essential social dialogue has to happen face to face. “Absolutely not. In fact we originally wanted the groupwork to be virtual but were constrained by technical issues and poor bandwidth.”

As Alan Amory said, “We don’t learn from games, we learn through them.” So, in SA gaming can be used as a learning tool when it is conceived and designed as the vehicle that provides the opportunity for social dialogue in a learning activity. Using mobile games, and mobile instant messaging to enable the social dialogue between the players, is not only plausible but in fact the only way that digital game-based learning will benefit most South African learners today.

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Authors: Thato Foko, Centre for Information Technology in Higher Education, South Africa; Alan Amory, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

ED-MEDIA 2008 paper: Designing Game Based Learning – a Participatory Approach.

Abstract: Game Based Learning seems to be an interesting new possibility of teaching and learning, but the effort spent on designing games and the possible positive outcomes have to be weighed carefully. The following paper describes the development process and the conceptual design of a simulation game on sustainability for teenagers. The design process is participatory in nature. Members of the future group of learners are involved in the design process at every stage. This involvement is especially important to overcome the contradiction between the goal of the game as such and the pedagogical goal of the designers.

Playing games is a natural form of learning. Advantages of games include motivation, interactivity (constructivist approach) and cooperation (MMOGs). In the digital game-based learning environment there are two problems that the authors wanted to try to address:

• Problem 1: Contradiction between playing the game (making lots of money but not in a sustainable living way) and learning (making choices that demonstrate an understanding of sustainable living choices).
• Problem 2: There can be too much interactivity with a game and not enough reflection. Thus is there a need for accompanying lectures/discussions — yes/no?

There is simply not enough research in this area.

Game that the researchers developed: Suli (Sustainable Living)

• Target audience: students in secondary schools in Austria
• Topic: sustainable living
• Goal: raise awareness about sustainable product design
• Method: game-based learning to motivate the learners to reflect about sustainability
• Simulation: avatars as well as top-view of world with islands (each player gets an island)
• 8 rounds to play over 10 days

Participative design:

• Students of a Viennese school helped design the game
• Questionnaire given to students to define consumer behaviour
• Core groups used in the three iterative development phases

Open questions:

• In Suli, different strategies are possible: either earning money or supporting sustainable living. Earning money is more attractive to teens.
• Accompanying lectures: Focus group with the teens after playing the game proved very valuable for the teens. They reflected and understood the complexities of sustainable living.

Initial results:

• Methods used: focus groups, diaries, chat, questionnaire, log file analysis
• Focus groups: students did understand that you cannot follow a dominantly economic and ecological approach simultaneously
• Some students tried to cooperate to increase their success (buying each others products)
• From the diaries it was clear that the students tried out different strategies to playing the game

Conclusion: The simulation approach is very positive for raising awareness, but the challenges above need to be addressed.

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Authors: Margit Pohl, Institute of Design and Assessment of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Austria;  Markus Rester, Institute of Design and Assessment of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Austria; Peter Judmaier, Institute of Engineering Design and Logistics Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Austria; Daniela Leopold, Department of Education and Human Development, University of Vienna, Austria

In the first keynote of ED-MEDIA 2008, Alan Amory, Professor of Education at the University of Johannesburg spoke on Playing Games: Hegemony as Enemy. The talk was deliberately provocative, with a number of game and movie trailers with nudity and profanity — part of the goal “to make the audience uncomfortable”.

He showed the trailer to Memento, a neo-noir crime thriller where viewers need to piece together the story in a detective-like fashion. The film is about memory, masculinity and violence, where maleness is constantly asserted as hegemonic.

He then discussed globalisation and how free trade agreements are really tools for more powerful Western governments to dominate markets that involve weaker countries. How behind the diplomacy, and stock market deals, and oil trades that affect the world, usually are men — power hungry men.

The highest grossing video game of 2007, Halo 3, is essentially about the Rapture, as celebrated by Christian Fundamentalism. The game is riddled with classic Christian good vs evil rhetoric (“judgement”, “fire”, “demons”, “Lords”, “the prophet”, “instrument of God”, etc.) Another hugely successful game is BioShock, set in a city called Rapture. The game is about fascism and anti-Science. The designer of the game is deeply concerned about stem cell research and utopias/dystopias as portrayed by Ayn Rand.

Then, Eyes Wide Shut, a film about a man in crisis. An example of sex as portrayed by men in Hollywood: stylised and essentially without depth.

The overall message is how media, including digital games that are today a key aspect of popular culture, are still male-dominated and based on power and economic models from seventeenth century Europe. Media is a vehicle for propaganda, increasingly embellished with violence, nudity, profanity and religious overtones. Do the games that we play, encourage and design re-enforce these stereotypes? And even educational technology, does that reproduce ideological imbalances?

I enjoyed the presentation. Alan took a risk to present in this way and his message asked interesting questions, which will frame my research on games and educational technology going forward.

A snippet of the presentation is on Qik, the new micro-vlogging service where users can upload/stream video taken by their mobile phones (as opposed to the text-based micro-blogging service, Twitter). The podcast of the keynote is also available.