Engineering Ethics Through High-Impact Collaborative/Competitive Scenarios (E-ETHICCS)

Engineering grand challenges increasingly involve numerous social and ethical considerations that transcend the technical skills that dominate traditional engineering education. Engineering solutions often have major, long-lasting impacts on society. Since the process of technical innovation occurs in increasingly complex social exchanges, engineers are frequently confronted with social and ethical dilemmas in their professional lives. How do students acquire the skills needed to tackle these problems? The authors hypothesize that placing engineering challenges and solutions in a classroom context while emphasizing social engagement and impact facilitates the development of engineering students as moral agents who understand the consequences of their decisions. Thus, a collaboration of investigators from the grantee universities are investigating how game-based educational interventions with strongly situated components influence early-curriculum engineering students\u27 ethical awareness and decision making. This paper offers an overview of the progress to date of this three year, NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) grant that aims to (1) characterize the ethical awareness and decision making of first-year engineering students, (2) develop game-based learning interventions focused on ethical decision making, and (3) determine how (and why) game-based approaches affect students’ ethical awareness in engineering and the advantages of such approaches over non game-based approaches. Results from this investigation will offer the engineering education community insight into how engineering students approach problem solving through the lens of ethical reasoning and decision making, potentially transforming an often overlooked part of engineering curricula for decades to come

A Case Study on 21 st Century Skills Development Through a Computer Based Maths Game

International audienceThe new technology developments that are emerging on the market demand re-skilling and updating competencies thus enabling people to adapt to new expectations in the 21st century workplace and life. Therefore, the education system should also prepare learners for lifelong learning through development of 21st century skills. Recent research on mathematics education also shows that for many students, math is not considered an easy subject and students are facing difficulties in developing logical thinking and problem solving skills. This paper introduces "Count With Me!", a novel educational computer based video game that teaches maths concepts. An investigation on how the game supports the development of learners' 21st century skills such as problem solving, self-directed learning, knowledge building and digital literacy is presented. The results of a case study in a 3rd level educational institution show that the large majority of students that took part in the case study acquired 21st century skills. 96.97% of students believed that the Count With Me! game helped them to develop their problem solving skills. 82.82% of students liked self-pacing themselves through the game based educational material. 78.78% of students agreed that the maths game has improved their knowledge and 81.81% of students were satisfied with their achievements in the game

Using learning games for fourth-grade students to teach Vietnamese lessons and teachers' perspectives on learning games

Students can learn   in   a   meaningful way through the use of educational games. When students apply their skills and information in order to progress through a game, a huge degree of engagement is generated among them in the classroom as a result both their capabilities and their learning   increase. 153 children from primary schools in Vietnam participated in this research. The children were split into two groups: an experimental and a control group. Both groups participated in two sessions of word and sentence practice as well as spelling instruction. According to the findings of the study, the educational outcomes of the students are greatly improved when games are used in their classrooms. In addition, research has shown that some teachers are against the use of games in the classroom since it makes it more difficult to prepare educational materials. Some educators believe that playing educational games is a more effective method of instruction as it allows for greater flexibility during the learning process. This makes a contribution to the theoretical framework that is necessary to guide educators and instructors in the process of improving learning game programs for children in primary schools and other learners

The Impact of Computer-based Programs on Middle School Math Achievement

The purpose of this correlation research study was to investigate the impact of computer-based learning on middle school math achievement of at-risk students. The participants for this study were drawn from a convenience sample of 83 middle school students located in southeastern Georgia. At-risk middle school students were achieving below their grade equivalent and failing to meet local and state proficiency standards. Computer-based instruction was implemented as an intervention to increase student achievement in mathematics. The study used a pretest-posttest control group design and used SPSS software to conduct the statistical analyses using an ANCOVA and t-test. The results indicated that the use of Math 180 did not result in a statistically significant increase in achievement of at-risk students. However, the observed power for each null hypothesis was very low, indicating the likelihood of a Type II error. Therefore, there may have been an effect of Math 180 on student achievement, but the sample sizes were too small to detect it. This type of intervention may be recommended for continued use; however, future research on other computer-based programs would be beneficial

The effect of game-based learning on middle school students\u27 academic achievement

The purpose of this literature review is to explore the connections of paratexts and multiple literacies in game-based learning to traditional literacies and examine the effectiveness of game-based learning on middle school students\u27 academic performance in STEM subjects. Thirty peer-reviewed journal articles with a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods as well as literature reviews were surveyed. Research shows game-based learning is a viable instructional method that offers close connections to traditional literacies in the classroom and an opportunity for improving student academic achievement when implemented purposefully in STEM content areas. Recommendations for teachers\u27 effective implementation and the future directions for the research are discussed

Educational Intervention through a Board Game for the Teaching of Mathematics to Dyslexic Greek Students

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention strategy in teaching mathematics based on a board game, using the curriculum of mathematics in Greece, called Adapted Analytical Programs (A.A.P.). This research was conducted on secondary students in Greek General Schools over a period of five weeks. One hundred and twenty-four 12-to-13-year-old dyslexic students participated in the study. A pre-test and a post-test with exercises in the chapter of fractions were used to assess the improvement in students’ performance. The assessment showed that this intervention strategy improved dyslexic students’ performance. Τhe results of the research indicate that integrating a board game adapted to mathematics into the secondary school curriculum could have positive effects on dyslexic students

THE CONTRIBUTION OF MATHEMATICS ONLINE GAMES TO QUALITIVE DIFFERENTIATION AND INTRINSIC MOTIVATION OF STUDENTS WITH MILD INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of a special education program, incorporating online digital games, on the understanding of basic mathematical concepts by students with mild intellectual disabilities. The research involved four students (one girl and three boys) with mild intellectual disabilities divided into two groups, an experimental (combined intervention) and a control group (standard intervention). The students' performance was assessed before the intervention program, immediately after the end of the program and two weeks after the completion of the intervention. Based on the results, improved performance was observed in the experimental group’s students, in the areas of intervention, in relation to the students in the control group. The experimental group’s students continued to perform at high standards, contrary to those of the control group. The findings show that the teaching approach integrating online digital games has a positive impact on the understanding of basic mathematical concepts by students with mild intellectual disabilities.  Article visualizations