José Luis Sierra

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).

Instructor-Oriented Authoring Tools for Educational Videogames

Digital games are becoming a rising trend in e-Learning due to their potential educational benefits. However, their application is hindered by issues such as their high production costs and the difficulty of getting instructors involved in the development process, a required aspect in order to achieve educational value. In this paper we propose to tackle those issues by developing new, instructor-oriented, authoring tools for educational videogames. These principles are carried out in the platform: a complete instructor-oriented authoring toolkit for educational point-and-click adventure videogames.

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.

Authoring game-based adaptive units of learning with IMS Learning Design and

Electronic games and simulations (eGames) are a valuable support for adaptive learning. This adaptation can be based on different inputs, such as the users performance, behaviour or cognitive load. Both adaptation and eGames can be modelled with IMS Learning Design (IMS LD) or integrated from an external resource. In this article we show the relation between IMS LD and the Project when it comes to authoring adaptive Units of Learning (UoLs) integrated with eGames. We first describe the challenges of this objective and the several different solutions on authoring and integration. We also describe the content-centred authoring approach in , and the need for a communication service with IMS LD that makes a bidirectional influence on the users adaptive learning experience. At the end, we describe a practical example that illustrates how an adaptive IMS LD UoL with an integrated eGame is developed.

Online learning and clinical procedures: rapid development and effective deployment of game-like interactive simulations

Traditionally, medical education has used live patients to teach medical procedures. This carries a significant risk to patients. As learning technology advances, the early integration of computer-aided medical simulations into medical training before patient contact is becoming an ethical imperative, yet development costs are constraining. In this paper, we describe the use of a gaming engine to create rapidly a game-like interactive simulation for medical training at a low cost. Our process model, driven by the simulation storyboard provided by the instructors, allows for easy simulation refinements and permits an early evaluation of the educational outcome. We also describe its initial integration into the existing matrix of low-tech simulation (procedures practiced on mannequins) and an educational platform (e-learning system) used to support and track novice physicians within a large academic training center.

A game-based adaptive unit of learning with IMS learning design and

A combination structural steel erection bolt, drift pin and nut assembly replaces heretofore required long erection bolts and drift pins or pry bars in erecting floor beams to upright columns of steel framework for buildings and the like to form the initial connection between the floor beams and columns and to align the bolt holes for receiving the permanent bolts. The assemblies of this invention include a bolt having a head with an elongated shank divided into an enlarged diameter smooth surfaced grip portion adjacent the head to snugly fit the bolt holes, a tapered central portion for directing the structural steel elements to the grip portion, and an elongated externally threaded portion projecting from the small end of the tapered portion for freely fitting into the bolt holes. A sleeve loosely embraces the shank and a nut threaded on the threaded portion of the shank forces the sleeve against a structural element causing it to ride up the tapered portion to the grip portion thereby aligning the holes of the structural elements that are to be bolted together. When the structural elements are thus drawn together the other bolt holes on these elements are aligned and shorter permanent bolts are then used to permanently secure the elements together. The combination nut and bolt assembly of this invention is then removed for reuse.

A Document-Oriented Paradigm for the Construction of Content-Intensive Applications

In this paper we describe our work on the formulation of a document-oriented paradigm for improving the construction and maintenance of content-intensive applications (i.e. applications that make intensive use of the information provided by the experts in a given domain: the contents). According to this paradigm, the development of a content-intensive application must be the result of close collaboration between two kinds of actors: domain experts and developers. The goal of this collaboration is the authoring of (i) a set of documents describing the most relevant aspects of the application (i.e. the contents and other relevant customizable features); (ii) a grammar describing a domain-specific markup language that will be used to make the structure and the data in these documents explicit and (iii) a suitable processor for this language. The final running application will be automatically produced by processing the marked documents with this processor. The use of this paradigm in the development of content-intensive applications can increase the initial cost of application production, but in the long run it can substantially improve maintenance and portability, and promote information and software reuse as well. We have successfully applied this paradigm to the development of educational and hypermedia applications, and knowledge-based systems. From these experiences, we have found that the feasibility of the paradigm depends to a great extent on having mechanisms that enable the incremental definition of the markup languages and the incremental construction of their processors. This has led us to the formulation of a document-oriented approach for the development of content-intensive applications tightly coupled with these principles of incremental formulation and operationalization of domain-specific markup languages.

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.

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.