Critical thinking, empathy and problem solving using a modern board game: A learning experience valued by physical therapy students

This study aimed at understanding how physical therapy students recognize a modern board game experience as an opportunity to train socioemotional skills. Thirteen physical therapy students participated in a learning experience using the Magic Maze board game and were assessed in terms of critical thinking, empathy, and problem-solving perceived experience. The facilitator’s perceptions were also registered. Students showed to be goal oriented focusing on choosing different solutions and reflecting critically on the most suitable one. Magic Maze was classified as a relevant learning method for other serious purposes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nothing Like a Good Fiasco! Exploring the Potential of Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TRPGs) As Literacy Experiences

Within this position paper, we describe the use of Fiasco, a tabletop role-playing game (TRPG), as it relates to the creation of literacy experiences. Fiasco is a TRPG that utilizes prompts inspired by genre fiction to collaboratively generate, establish, and resolve scenes between a varied cast of characters in several rounds improvisational roleplay. To explore the range of literacy experience opportunities, present in its play, we present our experiences designing and playing a Fiasco session and reflect upon the transformative potential of tabletop games in creating literacy experiences. The position we undertake, in favor of the considered use of TRPGs for learning through serious gaming in classrooms, is reflective of the experiences within our local gaming and learning communities. Based upon this experience and relevant literature, we contend that table-top gaming fits well within literacy pedagogy and explore how they can be used in classrooms. Therefore, our discussion is centered upon the potential of tabletop games experiences to be considered inventive, specifically in relation to the teaching and learning of literacy skills within a serious gaming framework

AI in board Game-Based Learning

Despite receiving less attention in educational research compared to digital games, boardgames show great potential as a learning environment in many educational scenarios. They promote acquisition of disciplinary knowledge and key competences, generate a sense of physical “togetherness”, can be employed in situation of social and economic disadvantage, and can be modified (or “modded”), for better alignment with disciplinary content. The use of games in European schools is very limited; teachers see the potential of games for learning, but their competence in the use of games for learning is superficial and limited to personal experience. High-performance AI systems such as GPT-4 have emerged as a potential game-changer in education, as a collaborative partner to assist teachers in learning design or to automatize decision-making processes. Despite known limitations, trained LLMs show promise in executing educational tasks. This study explores whether trained High-performance AI can facilitate teachers in the creation of boardgame-based learning units, by bridging their knowledge gap in game knowledge and game-based instructional skills. Using the GDBL ID model, the most comprehensive available instructional model for the creation of boardgame-based learning units, in this exploratory study we instructed Chat GPT to address two key phases of bGBL design: the choice of the game for the learning activity and the personalization of the game for constructive alignment and inclusion. Evaluation of the output by GBL experts highlights the potential of AI tools for bGB

«Lebensnetz» - Spielentwicklung und Spielvalidierung eines «serious game» zur Wissensvermittlung und Unterstützung zur Konfliktbearbeitung in Raumnutzungsfragen rund um Ökologische Infrastruktur

Biodiversity in Switzerland is in a worrying state and there is a great need for action to conserve and strengthen biodiversity. For this reason, the Federal Council decided in the “Aktionsplan Strategie Biodiversität Schweiz 1» to create a nationwide ecological infrastructure. In order to provide assistance in dealing with the land use conflicts expected in this context, the serious game " Lebensnetz" (web of life) was developed as part of this work. Since raising the awareness of the population on biodiversity issues is also an objective of AP SBS, the game was also designed for students at high school (Gymnasium) level. The research questions in this thesis were: 1. What are the underlying principles for such a game? 2. Which game mechanisms cause which effects? 3. What do players learn in this game? 4. How do players evaluate the games benefits? In the game Lebensnetz, ecological infrastructure was to be created in a fictitious community with fictitious actors, and land use conflicts were to be depicted in the process. The main focus was to show the different positions and to find a discursive compromise. This game was developed in an iterative process, in cooperation with lay people and experts, and validated both in high school classes and with a group of experts. The results presented in the thesis suggest that the game is suitable as a teaching tool at high schools to convey land-use conflicts in the context of ecological infrastructure. There are also indications that the game can help in real-life land-use conflicts, but these results are less broadly supported by the data. Die Biodiversität in der Schweiz ist in einem besorgniserregenden Zustand und der Handlungsbedarf zur Erhaltung und Stärkung der Artenvielfalt ist gross. Deshalb beschloss der Bundesrat im Aktionsplan Strategie Biodiversität Schweiz eine landesweite Ökologische Infrastruktur zu schaffen. Um in der Bearbeitung der in diesem Kontext erwarteten Landnutzungskonflikten Hilfestellung bieten zu können, wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit das Serious Game «Lebensnetz» entwickelt. Da auch die Sensibilisierung der Bevölkerung auf Biodiversitätsthemen ein Ziel des AP SBS ist, wurde das Spiel zudem für Schüler:innen auf Gymnasialstufe ausgerichtet. Dabei sollte hauptsächlich erforscht werden, 1) welche Grundlagen ein solches Spiel braucht, 2) welche Spielmechanismen welche Auswirkungen haben, 3) was Spieler:innen in diesem Spiel lernen und 4) wie sie dessen Nutzen bewerten. Im Spiel Lebensnetz sollte in einer fiktiven Gemeinde mit fiktiven Akteur:innen Ökologische Infrastruktur geschaffen, und dabei Landnutzungskonflikte dargestellt werden. Damit standen vor allem das Aufzeigen der verschiedenen Positionen die diskursive Kompromissfindung im Vordergrund. Dieses Spiel wurde in einem iterativen Prozess, in Zusammenarbeit mit Laien und Expert:innen entwickelt und sowohl an Gymnasialklassen als auch mit einer Expert:innengruppe validiert. Die in der Arbeit präsentierten Resultate legen nahe, dass sich das Spiel als Lehrmittel an Gymnasialklassen eignet, um Landnutzungskonflikte im Kontext der Ökologischen Infrastruktur zu vermitteln. Auch deutet vieles darauf hin, dass das Spiel in realen Nutzungskonflikten Hilfestellung bieten kann, doch sind diese Resultate durch die Daten weniger breit abgestützt

Modding Tabletop Games for Education

This paper describes a learning-objective-centric workflow for modifying (‘mod-ding’) existing tabletop games for educational purposes. The workflow combines existing research for serious games design with novel systematic analysis tech-niques for learning and game mechanics and gameplay loops to improve the un-derstanding and rigour of the process. A detailed worked example applies the workflow to the development of a serious tabletop game with the educational goal of increasing knowledge and confidence of performing postgraduate literature re-views. Systematic application of the workflow to a real example supports the val-ue of this approach and provides a useful template for educators to follow for in-creasing the quality and feasibility of self-designed serious games