"This is not 13th Grade": Making the Transition to College through Coding

The Summer Coding Academy 2017 at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) was designed for the first-year freshman and transfer students with a declared Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) major. The camp participants were from diverse STEM fields that included engineering, biochemistry, nuclear medicine science, biology, computer information systems, meteorology, and 3-D animation & game design. The objectives of the camp were (1) to improve the student’s preparation for a rigorous STEM degree, (2) to increase their skills in communication and data analytics through coding and robotics. This paper describes the teaching materials that we utilized, the results of students evaluations, lessons learned and the future work.Cockrell School of Engineerin

DecidArch: Playing Cards as Software Architects

Teaching software architecture is a challenge because of the difficulty to expose students to actual meaningful design situations. Games can provide a useful illustration of the design decision making process, and teach students the power of team interaction for making sound decisions. We introduce a game –DecidArch– developed to achieve three learning objectives: 1) create awareness about the rationale involved in design decision making, 2) enable appreciation of the reasoning behind candidate design decisions proposed by others, and 3) create awareness about interdependencies between design decisions. The game has been played by 22 groups with a total of 83 players, all of them students of the VU software architecture course. We present some of the lessons learned, both from our observation and through participant survey. We conclude that the game well supports our three learning objectives, and we identify several improvement points for future game editions

DecidArch: Playing Cards as Software Architects

Teaching software architecture is a challenge because of the difficulty to expose students to actual meaningful design situations. Games can provide a useful illustration of the design decision making process, and teach students the power of team interaction for making sound decisions. We introduce a game –DecidArch– developed to achieve three learning objectives: _x0001_1) create awareness about the rationale involved in design decision making, _x0002_2) enable appreciation of the reasoning behind candidate design decisions proposed by others, and _x0003_3) create awareness about interdependencies between design decisions. The game has been played by _x0002__x0002_ groups with a total of _x0008__x0003_ players, all of them students of the VU software architecture course. We present some of the lessons learned, both from our observation and through participant survey. We conclude that the game well supports our three learning objectives, and we identify several improvement points for future game editions

Perancangan Permainan Digital “Kronik Majapahit” sebagai Media Pembelajaran Sejarah Sumpah Palapa untuk Remaja

History is a reflection to characters of the nation that should not be forgotten, because there are so many lessons and could be gained by understanding it. But in reality history lessons did not always get a proper place in the learning process of students in high school. This research wants to dig deeper and find alternative solutions for historical learning process, especially about how to introduce chronological history of the sumpah palapa through an exciting gaming media as part of the learning process to teenagers. The research process is also looking for alternative ways of designing gameplay and visually appropriate for the game. The method used in this research is a systematic and continuous action reserach, to understand the context of learning used constructivism learning methods, as well as related theories in the realm of education and psychology in order to enrich the rationale of this research. The results of the research produced through literature review, observation, discussion and experiments to obtain data, will be used as a basis in the design of content and visual games. A final challenge of this game design process is to create a game that contextual and parallel with the goal of teaching history in Indonesia, as a means to develop the good character of young people for the nation by strengthen the sense of history to the youth as the primary user

Perancangan Permainan Digital “Kronik Majapahit†Sebagai Media Pembelajaran Sejarah Sumpah Palapa Untuk Remaja

History is a reflection to characters of the nation that should not be forgotten, because there are so many lessons and could be gained by understanding it. But in reality history lessons did not always get a proper place in the learning process of students in high school. This research wants to dig deeper and find alternative solutions for historical learning process, especially about how to introduce chronological history of the sumpah palapa through an exciting gaming media as part of the learning process to teenagers. The research process is also looking for alternative ways of designing gameplay and visually appropriate for the game. The method used in this research is a systematic and continuous action reserach, to understand the context of learning used constructivism learning methods, as well as related theories in the realm of education and psychology in order to enrich the rationale of this research. The results of the research produced through literature review, observation, discussion and experiments to obtain data, will be used as a basis in the design of content and visual games. A final challenge of this game design process is to create a game that contextual and parallel with the goal of teaching history in Indonesia, as a means to develop the good character of young people for the nation by strengthen the sense of history to the youth as the primary user

Gender and school-level differences in students' moderate and vigorous physical activity levels when taught basketball through the tactical games model

The Tactical Games Model (TGM) prefaces the cognitive components of physical education (PE), which has implications for physical activity (PA) accumulation. PA recommendations suggest students reach 50% moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, this criterion does not indicate the contribution from vigorous physical activity (VPA). Consequently, this study investigated: a) the effects of TGM delivery on MVPA/VPA and, b) gender/school level differences. Participants were 78 seventh and 96 fourth/fifth grade coeducational PE students from two different schools. Two teachers taught 24 (middle) and 30 (elementary) level one TGM basketball lessons. Students wore Actigraph GT3× triaxial accelerometers. Data were analyzed using four one-way ANOVAs. Middle school boys had significantly higher MVPA/VPA (34.04/22.37%) than girls (25.14/15.47%). Elementary school boys had significantly higher MVPA/VPA (29.73/18.33%) than girls (23.03/14.33%). While TGM lessons provide a context where students can accumulate VPA consistent with national PA recommendations, teachers need to modify lesson activities to enable equitable PA participation

App creation in schools for different curricula subjects - lesson learned

The next generation of jobs will be characterized by an increased demand for people with computational and problem solving skills. In Austria, computer science topics are underrepresented in school curricula hence teaching time for these topics is limited. From primary through secondary school, only a few opportunities exist for young students to explore programming. Furthermore, today's teachers are rarely trained in computer science, which impairs their potential to motivate students in these courses. Within the "No One Left Behind" (NOLB) project, teachers were supported to guide and assist their students in their learning processes by constructing ideas through game making. Thus, students created games that referred to different subject areas by using the programming tool Pocket Code, an app developed at Graz University of Technology (TU-Graz). This tool helps students to take control of their own education, becoming more engaged, interested, and empowered as a result. To ensure an optimal integration of the app in diverse subjects the different backgrounds (technical and non-technical) of teachers must be considered as well. First, teachers were supported to use Pocket Code in the different subjects in school within the feasibility study of the project. Observed challenges and difficulties using the app have been gathered. Second, we conducted interviews with teachers and students to underpin our onsite observations. As a result, it was possible to validate Pocket Codes' potential to be used in a diverse range of subjects. Third, we focused especially on those teachers who were not technically trained to provide them with a framework for Pocket Code units, e.g., with the help of structured lesson plans and predefined templates.Comment: 10 pages, 5 tables EduLearn 201

Middle and elementary school students’ changes in self-determined motivation in a basketball unit taught using the Tactical Games Model

Studies examining student motivation levels suggest that this is a significant factor in students’ engagement in physical education and may be positively affected when teachers employ alternative pedagogical models such as game-centered approaches (GCAs). The aim of this study was to investigate changes in self-determined motivation of students as they participated in a GCA-basketball unit taught using the Tactical Games Model (TGM). Participants were 173 students (84 girls), 79 middle school (45 girls) and 94 (39 girls) elementary school students from four seventh and five fourth/fifth grade co-educational classes. Two teachers taught 32 (middle) and 33 (elementary) level one TGM basketball lessons. Need satisfaction and self-determined motivation data were collected using a previously validated instrument, while lesson context and teacher behavior data were recorded using systematic observation instruments. Repeated measures MANOVAs were employed to examine pre-posttest differences. Results revealed a significant main effect for time in need satisfaction for both middle (relatedness increased) and elementary school students (autonomy decreased) and a significant main effect in self-determined motivation for middle school students only (introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation all increased). Approximately 48%/42% (middle/elementary) of lesson time was game play, 22%/22% skill practice, 17%/17% management, and 13%/19% knowledge. The primary teacher behaviors used were instruction, management, specific observation, corrective feedback and modelling. Results indicate that it is important for future research to pay greater attention to the contextual factors associated with the application of the TGM, such as the students’ previous exposure to TGM lessons, and the teachers’ training and experience in utilizing the TGM. Indeed, results of the present study demonstrate that a longer-term commitment to the TGM is necessary to reduce controlling teacher behaviors, which will lead to positive changes in students’ need satisfaction and self-determined motivation. Future research is therefore needed to embrace this challenge to provide an increased evidence-base for GCAs such as the TGM

Evaluation Report of Prospero’s Island: an Immersive Approach to Literacy at Key Stage 3.

Prospero's Island is an immersive theatre project created by Punchdrunk Enrichment and sponsored by Learning Partner, London Borough of Hackney (Hackney Learning Trust). The project sought to inspire and motivate students’ engagement with the English curriculum, and to develop an immersive approach to teaching literacy that would improve students’ learning. Prospero’s Island took place in a secondary academy in Hackney, London over two school terms (autumn 2014-spring 2015). The project was embedded in existing schemes of work, and included the following elements: • An immersive theatre installation for Year 7-8 students (aged 11-13 years); this took the form of an interactive game based on The Tempest; over a two-week period groups of students participated in this experience for a morning or afternoon (autumn term); • A Teaching and Learning Day (TALD) and eight twilight CPD sessions on immersive learning techniques for school staff and teachers across London (autumn term); • A return to the installation for one lesson, led by English teachers (autumn term); • Follow-on work by teachers to develop immersive learning in English lessons (spring term); • An independent evaluation of the project (autumn and spring terms)

USING ROLE-PLAYING GAME FOR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FORMATION OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS

The features of using Role-playing games in educating students - prospective teachers are considered. In practical classes on teaching methods of various disciplines, Role-playing games are often used, associated with conducting a fragment of a lesson or a full lesson. Typically, these practical classes are organized on an empirical level. The version of the Role-playing game "Observing Mathematics Lessons", developed on the basis of the theory of contextual learning, is presented. Psychological and pedagogical principles: simulation of specific conditions, game modelling of the content and forms of professional activity, collaborative activities are used in the design of the game. These principles are the basis for creating a game model, which consists of: game goals, a set of roles that indicate the functions of the player, the scenario and the rules of the game. The simulation model contains: didactic goals, the subject of the game and the evaluation system. An important difference developed by the Role-playing game is to take into account the personality types of students - participants in the game. Students with personality types typical for STEM students were selected for the role of "good pupil”. The roles of the "bad pupils" were played by students with personality types typical for students who usually do not have academic success in mathematics. A survey has been conducted, which showed that the proposed Role-playing game enable the simulation of the real situation of an observing mathematics lesson