Ioana Andreea Stanescu

New pedagogical approaches in game enhanced learning: Curriculum integration

Summary: Digital games continue to enable innovative learning in the classroom, however, its implementation into the educational system requires a fundamental approach to achieve its greatest level of effectiveness. New Pedagogical Approaches in Game Enhanced Learning: Curriculum Integration addresses the major challenges associated with adopting digital games into a standard curriculum. By providing fresh perspectives from current practitioners in the education field, this publication serves as a guide for successfully implementing game learning and provides a valuable reference for educators, professionals, and even parents.

Hot Issues in Game Enhanced Learning: The GEL Viewpoint☆

Abstract The territory of Game Based Learning has been widely explored, yet much has still to be done in the field. Both the methodological and the empirical aspects of adopting games for educational purposes require further in-depth investigation. What are, then, the current hot issues in the field? What relevant research questions are still to be answered? This is the a rea that this paper showcases, encapsulating in a nutshell the efforts of the GEL Theme Team, a working group on Game Enhanced Learning active in the framework of the STELLAR European Network of Excellence.

Narrative Serious Game Mechanics (NSGM) - Insights into the Narrative-Pedagogical Mechanism

Narratives are used to construct and deconstruct the time and space of events. In games, as in real life, narratives add layers of meaning and engage players by enhancing or clarifying content. From an educational perspective, narratives are a semiotic conduit for evoking critical thinking skills and promoting knowledge discovery/acquisition. While narrative is central to Serious Games (SG), the relationships between gameplay, narrative and pedagogy in SG design remain unclear, and narrative’s elemental influence on learning outcomes is not fully understood yet. This paper presents a purpose-processing methodology that aims to support the mapping of SG design patterns and pedagogical practices, allowing designers to create more meaningful SGs. In the case of narrative, the intention is to establish whether Narrative Serious Game Mechanics (NSGM) can provide players with opportunities for reasoning and reflective analysis that may even transcend the game-based learning environment.

Using Gamification Mechanisms and Digital Games in Structured and Unstructured Learning Contexts

The transition from the pre-defined and often inflexible tools and practices of institutionalized mass-education towards dynamic and flexible learning contexts remains a challenge. Enabling rich and engaging learning experiences that consider the different progression rates and routes of each student require new approaches in education. This paper analyzes opportunities for employing gamification and digital games to construct navigable dynamic learning channels and enable pathways towards turning users into adaptive learners able to reach learning goals both in structured and unstructured contexts.

GEL: Exploring game enhanced learning

Abstract A brief presentation is given of the objectives and activities pursed in GEL (Game Enhanced Learning), a Theme Team initiative financed by the STELLAR Network of Excellence in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) during year 2011 - 2012. Some of GELs main outputs relevant to the Serious Games research field are also outlined.

Integrating Gamification in Mechanical Engineering Systems to Support Knowledge Processes

Rapid technological changes have a large influence in the field of engineering systems. However, just being fast is not sufficient; additionally, the system has to be user-friendly, flexible and cost effective. Serious Games (SG), as fast-paced, immersive, interactive media, have not only become popular in various learning and training environments, including engineering, but there are also several examples on how game-based mechanisms can be used to enhance User Experience (UX) and performance. So far, gamification of Mechanical Engineering Systems (MES) have not reached their full potential, due to the fact that gamification efforts are costly, time consuming to develop, and require the constant involvement of MES developers even for small changes. Furthermore, its adaption to MES requires specific knowledge in game design and development. Thus, as demand for user friendlier, intuitive interfaces increases, there is also a need for support tools that enable access to design and development of gamification mechanisms for non-SG professionals. In this context, the authors discuss the creation of a library of User Interface (UI) automation tools that enables gamification and through which tutors can create interactive learning scenarios to guide users through the functionalities of engineering systems. Such tools have the potential to support knowledge processes, respectively knowledge experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing and applying, in engineering environments.Copyright

Enabling Interoperability Between Serious Game and Virtual Engineering Ecosystems

Interoperability and reusability stand out as key factors that nurture the cost-efficiency, quality and expansion of Serious Game Ecosystems (SGE). This paper builds upon the blooming development of SGE and explores the new horizons SGE have brought for the enhancement of virtual engineering technologies and applications. The authors consider the integration of SGE into the Virtual Engineering and Systems (VES) workflow. SGEs are becoming an important component in enterprise agility and sustainability. In this context, the authors propose an Interoperability SGE Framework to facilitate reusability and interconnection within Game-based VES. The framework focuses on data, information, services, processes and organization interoperability and proposes a technical, cyber-physical, functional and organizational view. The integration of Cyber-Physical Systems with SGEs enable the development of new paradigms and game models including sensor and actuator integration, context sensing, smart environments and sensing objects.Copyright

Harmonizing interoperability - Emergent Serious Gaming in Playful Stochastic CAD Environments

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) applications often promote memorable experiences for the wrong reasons. Coupled with complex functionality and poor user experience the learning curve is often steep and overwhelming. Invoking design creativity remains limited to conveying established geometry. Gameplay conversely excels in memorable and formative experiences and could spur intuition and natural creativity. If games are profoundly imbued for purposeful play, thriving on tacit and explicit user knowledge, a CAD system carefully stylized with ludic mechanisms could potentially be highly productive. An emergent serious game (SG) and CAD system may then hold promise. Preliminary feedbacks suggest a game-CAD environment incorporating interoperable mechanisms of CAD and SG systems to exchange creation improves user interactions resulting in better evolution of the workflow. The emerging scenarios presented reports a transformative approach to understanding of relationships in CAD use, learning and play mechanisms that enhance creativity and innovation.

Game Mechanics Supporting Pervasive Learning and Experience in Games, Serious Games, and Interactive & Social Media

This workshop investigates the mechanisms for behaviour change and influence, focusing on the definition of requirements for pervasive gameplay and interaction mechanics, procedures, actions, mechanisms, systems, story, etc.) with the purpose of informing, educating, reflecting and raising awareness. By connecting various experts such as designers, educators, developers, evaluators and researchers from both industry and academia, this workshop aims to enable participants share, discuss and learn about existing relevant mechanisms for pervasive learning in a Serious Game (SG) context.

Towards Modding and Reengineering Digital Games for Education

Research has highlighted the positive qualities of Digital Games for Education DGE, such as their persuasiveness and motivational appeal, which can support immersive, situated and learner-centered learning experiences. Designing, Developing and Developing DDD games for education remain a challenge, especially in terms of costs and of the advanced, multi-disciplinary expertise required to DDD a game. This paper highlights the challenges associated with the implementation of pedagogical requisites and analyzes opportunities for enabling modular, scalable and more elastic DDD processes. To support the approach, the authors present the Reusability Serious Games Reusability Point of Reference SGREF, a tool that aims to facilitate game modding and reengineering by capturing and structuring information on DDD processes. Two case studies are presented to reflect the particularities teachers are confronted with when attempting to alter or extend a DEG and how SGREF is used to collect information to support DEG modding and reengineering.