Iván Martínez-Ortiz

Educational game design for online education

The use of educational games in learning environments is an increasingly relevant trend. The motivational and immersive traits of game-based learning have been deeply studied in the literature, but the systematic design and implementation of educational games remain an elusive topic. In this study some relevant requirements for the design of educational games in online education are analyzed, and a general game design method that includes adaptation and assessment features is proposed. Finally, a particular implementation of that design is described in light of its applicability to other implementations and environments.

A documental approach to adventure game development

In this paper, we propose a documental approach to the development of graphical adventure videogames. This approach is oriented to the production and maintenance of adventure videogames using the games storyboard as the key development element. The videogame storyboard is marked up with a suitable domain-specific descriptive markup language, from which the different art assets that are needed are referred to, and then the final executable videogame itself is automatically produced by processing the marked storyboard with a suitable processor for such a language. This document-oriented approach opens new authoring possibilities in videogame development and allows a rational collaboration between the different communities that participate in the development process: game writers, artists, and programmers. We have implemented the approach in the context of the project, by defining a suitable markup language for the storyboards (the language), and by building a suitable processor for this language (the engine).

A Content-Centric Development Process Model

Working from the belief that when content is king, content experts should lead, a storyboard-driven approach provides a sound methodology for developing educational games that helps ensure that no good storyboard becomes a bad game. The storyboard-driven approach provides a sound methodology for developing games that have as their keystone the final products content. Adventure games focus on content. When we add the educational goal into the mix, this becomes even more relevant. From this notion, instead of adapting the content to fit the technology, we adapt the technology to fit the content. Even though the resulting process might seem burdensome compared to more streamlined processes, this approach has a specific focus that ensures that no good storyboard becomes a bad game.

E-Learning standards and learning analytics. Can data collection be improved by using standard data models?

The Learning Analytics (LA) discipline analyzes educational data obtained from student interaction with online resources. Most of the data is collected from Learning Management Systems deployed at established educational institutions. In addition, other learning platforms, most notably Massive Open Online Courses such as Udacity and Coursera or other educational initiatives such as Khan Academy, generate large amounts of data. However, there is no generally agreedupon data model for student interactions. Thus, analysis tools must be tailored to each systems particular data structure, reducing their interoperability and increasing development costs. Some e-Learning standards designed for content interoperability include data models for gathering student performance information. In this paper, we describe how well-known LA tools collect data, which we link to how two e-Learning standards - IEEE Standard for Learning Technology and Experience API - define their data models. From this analysis, we identify the advantages of using these e-Learning standards from the point of view of Learning Analytics.

A visual language for the creation of narrative educational games

This paper presents a DSVL that simplifies educational video game development for educators, who do not have programming backgrounds. Other solutions that reduce the cost and complexity of educational video game development have been proposed, but simple to use approaches tailored to the specific needs of educators are still needed. We use a multidisciplinary approach based on visual language and narrative theory concepts to create an easy to understand and maintain description of games. This language specifically targets games of the adventure point-and-click genre. The resulting DVSL uses an explicit flow representation to help educational game authors (i.e. educators) to design the story-flow of adventure games, while providing specific features for the integration of educational characteristics (e.g. student assessment and content adaptation). These highly visual descriptions can then be automatically transformed into playable educational video games.

Implementing accessibility in educational videogames with

Web-based distance education (often identified as e-learning) is being reinvented to include richer content, with multimedia and interactive experiences that engage the students, thus increasing their motivation. However, the richer the content, the more difficult it becomes to maintain accessibility for people with special needs. Multimedia contents in general and educational games in particular present accessibility challenges that must be addressed to maintain e-learning inclusivity. Usually the accessibility of multimedia content in courses is addressed with the definition of simpler but more accessible content that diminishes the benefits of the richer content. Hence we need new, accessible multimedia technologies that guarantee that the learning experience is motivating and engaging to all students. We will focus our work on educational games, trying to leverage their engaging narratives to produce educational experiences that are attractive to all students, including people with special needs. Nonetheless the development of accessible games is a major challenge, due mostly to the additional development cost it involves. In this paper we present how the game platform facilitates the development of educational videogames for e-learning, simplifying the introduction of accessibility from the design stage of the game development process.

The problem with rights expression languages

In this paper we consider the functionality that a rights expression language (REL) should provide within a digital rights management (DRM) environment. We begin by noting the dearth of applications that make use of RELs, despite the fact that they have now been available since the late 1990s. We posit that one of the main impediments to the use of RELs is the complexity associated with understanding and using them. This results from the fact that the functionality needed to handle a wide variety of possible DRM scenarios is typically built into a REL, and it is often difficult to cleanly partition out only those pieces needed by a particular DRM application. Basing DRM system design on a layered architecture provides one way of achieving a partitioning and points to the need for a simple REL that is exclusively responsible for the expression of rights, while pushing much of the functionality found in current RELs into higher system layers. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of this approach, we provide an example implementation dealing with DRM-based negotiation.

Adaptive Units of Learning and Educational Videogames

In this paper, we propose three different ways of using IMS Learning Design to support online adaptive learning modules that include educational videogames. The first approach relies on IMS LD to support adaptation procedures where the educational games are considered as Learning Objects. These games can be included instead of traditional content to adapt the learning experience to the preferences of the student. In the second approach, the game engine supports the entire adaptation cycle, simply using IMS LD as a delivery mechanism for the packages containing the games. The learner profile is used to adapt the game, and the activity within the game is used to adjust the profile. Finally, the third approach stands between the other two, using IMS LD to model the general adaptation guidelines and then refining the adaptation inside the games. We illustrate these approaches with the educational game engine, which includes the mechanisms required to support these adaptation cycles. Editors: Daniel Burgos.

Using e-learning standards in educational video games

The integration of educational video games in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) is a challenging task in need of standardization to improve interoperability and to safeguard investment. The generalized use of VLEs has fostered the emergence of rich contents, and different standards exist to improve their interoperability and reusability. This work describes a proposal of how existing e-learning standards can be used to improve the integration of educational games in VLEs, while introducing a set of models that take into account the features of the selected standards. A specific implementation of this approach in the eAdventure game platform is also presented.

Production and deployment of educational videogames as assessable learning objects

The generalization of game-based Learning Objects as serious learning material requires their integration into pre-existing e-learning infrastructure (systems and courses) and the inclusion of gameplay-aware assessment procedures. In this paper, we propose an approach to the production and development of educational graphic adventure videogames that can be deployed as normal Learning Objects in a Learning Management System. The deployment is carried out using a game engine that includes a built-in assessment mechanism that can trace and report the activities of the learner while playing the game.