An Investigation into Game Based Learning Using High Level Programming Languages

Game-related education within mobile learning spheres is a matter of great debate for university students across the globe. It is the case that programming languages often pose a sizeable challenge for university students. This research paper aims to develop a game based learning platform “iPlayCode”, designed to offer a new and exciting method of learning programming language. Xcode 5.0.2 was used to develop the game by using the cocos2d-x development tool and the Adobe Photoshop graphic design tool. In addition, iOS 7.0.3 (11B508) Simulator was used to test the application and the application was deployed in different models of mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The application outcomes are presented by a mobile game that teaches programming languages in an easy, attractive and effective way

Discover Mathematics on Mobile Devices using Gaming Approach

AbstractMobile device has become a common gadget among the society. The once known only for the wealthy, the device allows people to communicate, work and play. Playing mobile games in mobile devices has become a trend as it can be played anywhere, anytime. Mobile device has properties like portability, connectivity and social interactivity that make it a preferred platform for learning. Hence, the usage of mobile devices can be expanded to mobile learning, where the learning environment is not restricted in classroom only. Computer games can also be highly effective in increasing children's learning and enjoyments of mathematics. By combining the fun factor of mobile games, the flexibility of mobile learning and the benefits of games, mobile educational games was developed. This paper discusses the model for the development of a mobile educational game for primary one mathematics education. The model describes the components that are required for the development of a mobile learning. The components for the model are the learning theories, learning approach, gaming approach, and the delivery medium. The prototype development process combines the instructional systems design and the game development approach. The developed prototype has been successfully tested using the functionality test which tested the govern on stability, correctness of game mechanics and integrity of game assets. The result showed that learning Mathematics on the mobile devices through gaming approach is possible and can become a promising alternative learning approach

Um jogo de gestão de caos para aprendizagem informal

[PT] A aprendizagem ao longo da vida implica que as pessoas estejam disponíveis para alterar a atitude, a forma de pensar ou de agir, normalmente com base em algum objetivo. Seja com apoio empresarial, devido a requisito de empresa para formação ou informação, seja em ambiente letivo, a aprendizagem implica um contacto com conteúdos e metodologias que estimulam o desenvolvimento pessoal. Muitas vezes, a aprendizagem é estimulada por passagem de documentação, formação presencial ou a distância, b-learning, etc. Neste trabalho, pretende-se avaliar uma forma de aprendizagem informal com base em jogos. A aprendizagem com base em jogos permite experimentar diferentes papéis, correr riscos, errar e repetir sem receio, encorajando o aprendente a contactar e a experimentar os conteúdos. Assim, descreve-se o desenho de um jogo sério com foco na aprendizagem e tendo como principal forma de jogabilidade a gestão e tomada de decisões. O jogo foi desenvolvido para dispositivos iOS e Android, utilizando a ferramenta Unity. A premissa do jogo coloca o jogador no papel de um gestor empresarial em que é lhe são colocadas diferentes situações que requerem uma decisão. O jogo apresenta uma mecânica baseada em cartas, fazendo com que o jogador escolha entre duas opções, deslizando a carta para direita ou para a esquerda, influenciando as finanças e reputação da empresa. Adicionalmente, o jogo prevê, também, conquistas e cartas colecionáveis, obtidas ao longo do jogo. O jogo permite que sejam criados diferentes decks para diferentes conteúdos. No momento, foi criado um deck com foco na aprendizagem em cibersegurança e está sendo validado em quatro contextos diferentes. Por meio de questionários, exames antes e após a utilização do jogo e dados recolhidos por observação, é possível obter resultados da satisfação dos alunos e do impacto da utilização do jogo como contributo no processo de aprendizagem.Mendez De Souza, B.; De Castro Lopez, RPS.; Almeida, MS. (2020). Um jogo de gestão de caos para aprendizagem informal. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1117-1124. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2019.2019.10311OCS1117112

Java Zoo a Tool for Interactive Java Instruction

Games have been a form of entertainment for centuries and used to focus and motivated which is a great feature that can be utilize games as the basis for creating game-based educational applications. Games are part fun and part leisure, trying to educate using games is very interesting, but care must be taken in designing the game interfaces as they should be simple, attractive, usable, and at the same time portray the concept of learning. Many students have found Computer Science as a very challenging subject and some of the most challenging for some new CS1 students is their first programming language. We lose many students to other majors at the level of CS1 and can weed out potential great future computer scientists. In our computing department, Java is the first programming language and many students have problems with it because they do not understand the concepts of classes, objects, encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism. It has been found that games motivate students and focuses them for long period of time. With long periods of time being required to have basic functional understanding of programming language, games can play an important role for intrinsic motivation. We propose a Java game called “JavaZOO” to demonstrate the concepts of programming by mapping the animal kingdom to the object-oriented design principles

Heuristics evaluation strategy for mobile game-based learning

Evaluation of learning media is necessary for determining the effectiveness of the produced media. When evaluating mobile game-based learning (mGBL), conventional usability heuristics evaluations lack comprehension and difficult to be directly implemented. Therefore, heuristics evaluation strategy is proposed to evaluate specifically for mGBL. The strategy consists of four components: Game Usability, Mobility, Game Play, and Learning Content. Each of the components represents the issues to be considered and evaluated for mGBL. Additionally, in this study, a prototype of mGBL was developed and evaluated by utilizing the proposed strategy. The results indicate that the strategy is useful and potential to be implemented for similar mGBL applications

Mobile Game-Based Learning (mGBL): Application Development and Heuristics Evaluation Strategy

Purpose – This article presents an approach to developing a mobile game-based learning (mGBL) application by adapting unified characteristics of learning theories and approaches. In addition, the study also identified the strategy to evaluate mGBL. Method – The study utilized the design research approach in information systems. The research methodology can be divided into five phases; (i) awareness of problem (ii) suggestion (iii) development (iv) evaluation and (v) conclusion. Findings – Unified characteristics of mGBL were identified. In adapting the characteristics, the mGBL application was developed based on the concept of values in 1Malaysia. To evaluate the mGBL, a heuristics evaluation strategy is proposed. The strategy consists of four components: Game Usability, Mobility, Game Play, and Learning Content. Each of the components represents the issues to be considered and evaluated for a mGBL. Value – The study provides intensive review of mGBL characteristics that can be useful and may be of interest to game developers. In addition the heuristics evaluation strategy is developed for evaluating the effectiveness of mGBL application

Mobile Game-Based Learning (mGBL) Engineering Model

Mobile game-based learning (mGBL) is a game played on any handheld devices such as mobile phones. It is among the most recent growing research areas whereby its main aim is to use game play to enhance motivation in learning, engage in knowledge acquisition, and improve the effectiveness of learning activities through mobile environment. To fully utilize the potential of mGBL, researchers suggest looking at the most important part, which is the development methodology of mGBL. In relation to this, various game development methodologies have been introduced for different types of game genres and platforms. These methodologies propose different numbers of steps and activities; some focusing only on the learning design; some concentrating on the mobile technologies; and others on the complete life cycle. Although many game methodologies have been introduced, studies show that customized phases and steps to develop games for learning in mobile environment are substantially required. Therefore, the study discussed in this thesis addresses this gap by proposing an mGBL Engineering Model based on a number of games and learning theoretical and developmental foundations. In particular, the study identified the key steps of development methodology to be considered in developing mGBL applications which consist of phases, components, steps, and deliverables. In accomplishing this aim, a design science research methodology was adopted, comprising of five phases; (i) awareness of problem, (ii) suggestion, (iii) development, (iv) evaluation, and (v) conclusion. Subsequently, eight mGBL evaluation dimensions were put forward: visibility, complexity, compatibility, flexibility, clarity, effectiveness, manageability, and evolutionary. Model evaluation was conducted in three phases, namely; expert review, prototype development with heuristics evaluation, and experimental study. Generally, the proposed mGBL Engineering Model was well accepted by the experts contacted in this study. The model was also employed by a game company while developing an mGBL prototype. Here, the findings have implied that the model is useful to follow and it provides an easy guideline for fellow developers. In the experimental study phase, four learning or game methodologies; Analysis-Design-Development-Implementation- Evaluation, Input-Process-Output, Game Life Cycle, and mGBL Engineering Model; were studied and compared by 70 respondents. The findings have indicated that the proposed mGBL Engineering Model scored mean above 7.0 (out of 10) of all dimensions compared to the other three models (scored less than 7.0). The ANOVA results show that there are significant differences between all groups in six dimensions except complexity and compatibility. Although complexity and compatibility dimensions are not significantly different, the scores for the mGBL Engineering Model are higher than the other three models. All these results have demonstrated that the proposed mGBL Engineering Model exhibits useful development indicators for mGBL applications and is indeed a theoretical and practical contribution of the study. In addition, the other significant contributions are the eight evaluation dimensions together with the validated instrument. Furthermore, the artefact produced, which is the mGBL prototype is also a functional contribution

Augmented Reality and Context Awareness for Mobile Learning Systems

Learning is one of the most interactive processes that humans practice. The level of interaction between the instructor and his or her audience has the greatest effect on the output of the learning process. Recent years have witnessed the introduction of e-learning (electronic learning), which was then followed by m-learning (mobile learning). While researchers have studied e-learning and m-learning to devise a framework that can be followed to provide the best possible output of the learning process, m-learning is still being studied in the shadow of e-learning. Such an approach might be valid to a limited extent, since both aims to provide educational material over electronic channels. However, m-learning has more space for user interaction because of the nature of the devices and their capabilities. The objective of this work is to devise a framework that utilises augmented reality and context awareness in m-learning systems to increase their level of interaction and, hence, their usability. The proposed framework was implemented and deployed over an iPhone device. The implementation focused on a specific course. Its material represented the use of augmented reality and the flow of the material utilised context awareness. Furthermore, a software prototype application for smart phones, to assess usability issues of m-learning applications, was designed and implemented. This prototype application was developed using the Java language and the Android software development kit, so that the recommended guidelines of the proposed framework were maintained. A questionnaire survey was conducted at the University, with approximately twenty-four undergraduate computer science students. Twenty-four identical smart phones were used to evaluate the developed prototype, in terms of ease of use, ease of navigating the application content, user satisfaction, attractiveness and learnability. Several validation tests were conducted on the proposed augmented reality m-learning verses m-learning. Generally, the respondents rated m-learning with augmented reality as superior to m-learning alone

Disponibilização de conteúdos LMS em dispositivos móveis

Dissertação apresentado à Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão do IPL para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática - Computação Móvel, orientada pelo Doutor Vítor Manuel Basto Fernandes.Actualmente, os dispositivos móveis estão cada vez mais presentes nas tarefas diárias das nossas vidas. Devido ao rápido desenvolvimento das tecnologias de comunicações móveis e das redes sem fio, elevando exponencialmente o número de pessoas que usam os dispositivos móveis. Neste contexto, aparece o m-learning que estende o conceito de elearning, onde alarga o conceito de mobilidade, especialmente com o uso de recursos tecnológicos. Portanto, a computação móvel concentra o paradigma do "anytime, anywhere access", oferecendo recursos para a educação à distância através dos dispositivos móveis. Este paradigma permite que a informação seja disponibilizada aos utilizadores com maior flexibilidade e diversidade. Fazendo com que a aprendizagem surja em locais e horários não convencionais. A necessidade de aprendizagem ao longo da vida, formação, mobilidade e flexibilidade do ensino e da penetração das tecnologias móveis possibilita aos dispositivos móveis, devido à sua principal característica - a mobilidade - o apoio e desenvolvimento de novas abordagens no contexto educacional como instrumentos de apoio à aprendizagem. Este estudo apresenta o trabalho realizado no âmbito da criação de uma aplicação de suporte ao ensino à distância no ensino superior. O objectivo principal consiste na utilização dos dispositivos móveis como ferramentas de apoio, com a finalidade de exibirem as informações sobre as disciplinas/conteúdos disponíveis no LMS. De forma a poder validar o estudo efectuado, foram realizados testes com os alunos do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria e sendo o Moodle a plataforma LMS escolhida para os testes