Learning with tangible interfaces

Trabalho apresentado no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia InformáticaTechnology is an active part of our lives and, without even noticing it, part of our daily activities became dependent on it. For that reason, software constructors began to pay special attention on people’s needs and interaction with both hardware and software they must deal with. Children are an emergent users’ group, as they are confronted with technology from an early stage of their development. Knowing that children see the world in a different way adults do and haven’t got yet the necessary dexterity to interact with some physical devices, special concerns arise. This happens especially if the application has an educational purpose, because they are more likely to need an extra motivation to use it than adults. Given that, a new subfield of Human-Computer Interaction appeared with special concerns related to children’s applications and how they interact with them: Child-Computer Interaction. When creating children’s technology the concept of ubiquity seems to rise almost naturally. The idea of children interacting with technology without even noticing it seems perfect. This may be achieved if the interactions are based on everyday objects and actions children are used to. The purpose of this thesis is to create a tool that enables children to build their own educational games, based on physical objects with which they usually interact. This idea follows a Learning-by-Teaching approach in which children are given the instructor’s role. Researchers have found that the best way to create children’s software is to let them take an active part on the construction process. Bearing that in mind three design sessions were conducted with children, based on the Bluebells Method, so they could give us the insight needed to create an intuitive application. Finally, usability tests were made to the created prototype in order not only to study its’ usability but also to understand if children’s motivation to create their own game engages them into learning more about the application’s subject

An investigation into the potential of collaborative computer game-based learning in Higher Education

Advocates of game-based learning argue that computer games have the potential to transform university education, motivating and engaging a new generation of learners in a way that traditional education does not. The research described in this thesis, grounded in the fields of education, human-computer interaction and game design, questions this assumption and considers the case for computer game-based learning in Higher Education. Initial research found that positive motivation for games-based learning is by no means universal in adults, and that a propensity to play games recreationally does not imply an enthusiasm to use games for learning. However, even reluctant gamers were willing to try game-based learning if it was perceived to be an efficient way to learn. Criteria were developed for the design of effective educational games, based around theories of constructivist learning. These informed the development of two collaborative game-based activities with identical learning outcomes: an adventure game and an online version of a traditional teambuilding exercise. Questionnaires were developed to measure self-reported learning and engagement and 112 students participated in an experiment to compare educational effectiveness between two groups, one using the adventure game and the other the teambuilding activity. No significant difference was found between the two conditions, with the exception that those students who used the teambuilding game had a significantly greater perception of control than those who used the adventure game. This study challenges the assumption that games will revolutionise education because they lead to increased motivation and engagement. Instead, it argues that there is a potential for increased engagement through educational games, but this is because they embody the principles of interactive, collaborative and experiential learning. Overall, this research offers an insight of the nature of adult game playing, practical guidance for the development of educational games, a validated tool for measuring post-experiential engagement, a critical analysis of usability testing techniques for multi-user games, and a genuine rationale for the use of game-based learning.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

An investigation into the potential of collaborative computer game-based learning in Higher Education

Advocates of game-based learning argue that computer games have the potential to transform university education, motivating and engaging a new generation of learners in a way that traditional education does not. The research described in this thesis, grounded in the fields of education, human-computer interaction and game design, questions this assumption and considers the case for computer game-based learning in Higher Education.Initial research found that positive motivation for games-based learning is by no means universal in adults, and that a propensity to play games recreationally does not imply an enthusiasm to use games for learning. However, even reluctant gamers were willing to try game-based learning if it was perceived to be an efficient way to learn.Criteria were developed for the design of effective educational games, based around theories of constructivist learning. These informed the development of two collaborative game-based activities with identical learning outcomes: an adventure game and an online version of a traditional teambuilding exercise.Questionnaires were developed to measure self-reported learning and engagement and 112 students participated in an experiment to compare educational effectiveness between two groups, one using the adventure game and the other the teambuilding activity. No significant difference was found between the two conditions, with the exception that those students who used the teambuilding game had a significantly greater perception of control than those who used the adventure game.This study challenges the assumption that games will revolutionise education because they lead to increased motivation and engagement. Instead, it argues that there is a potential for increased engagement through educational games, but this is because they embody the principles of interactive, collaborative and experiential learning.Overall, this research offers an insight of the nature of adult game playing, practical guidance for the development of educational games, a validated tool for measuring post-experiential engagement, a critical analysis of usability testing techniques for multi-user games, and a genuine rationale for the use of game-based learning

A Web-Based Game For Supporting Game-Based Learning

Game-based learning has been recognized as an important alternative or supplement to traditional in-class, face-to-face teaching. It can help both adults and children in learning new concepts, acquiring expertise and practicing knowledge. Although game-based learning has been applied mainly for teaching children, it can be quite helpful for adult vocational or university learning. In this paper, a web-based game is presented, which has been developed for enhancing the learning experience of university students. Its goal is to serve as a complement to classes, although it can be used independently. It provides the students with many ways for communicating (synchronously or asynchronously) and acquiring information. Through the use of the game, the students gain easily new knowledge, since they have to search for it, understand it and use it in discussions with other students, who are members of other teams. The game is played by many users simultaneously. Microsoft's ASP.NET scripting environment was used for creating the game's website. The website utilizes also Macromedia's communication technology (Flash Communication Server MX) for enabling real-time communication by several means (voice, text, etc). Flash was used in the website for building the real-time communication modules as well as for creating a more elegant user interface. The game platform can be used by many teachers simultaneously for running different game themes. It also gives the opportunity to visitors to watch games as spectators