Natural User Interface for Education in Virtual Environments

Education and self-improvement are key features of human behavior. However, learning in the physical world is not always desirable or achievable. That is how simulators came to be. There are domains where purely virtual simulators can be created in contrast to physical ones. In this research we present a novel environment for learning, using a natural user interface. We, humans, are not designed to operate and manipulate objects via keyboard, mouse or a controller. The natural way of interaction and communication is achieved through our actuators (hands and feet) and our sensors (hearing, vision, touch, smell and taste). That is the reason why it makes more sense to use sensors that can track our skeletal movements, are able to estimate our pose, and interpret our gestures. After acquiring and processing the desired – natural input, a system can analyze and translate those gestures into movement signals

10 simple rules to create a serious game, illustrated with examples from structural biology

Serious scientific games are games whose purpose is not only fun. In the field of science, the serious goals include crucial activities for scientists: outreach, teaching and research. The number of serious games is increasing rapidly, in particular citizen science games, games that allow people to produce and/or analyze scientific data. Interestingly, it is possible to build a set of rules providing a guideline to create or improve serious games. We present arguments gathered from our own experience ( Phylo , DocMolecules , HiRE-RNA contest and Pangu) as well as examples from the growing literature on scientific serious games

Hyötypelit ja pelillistäminen koulutuksessa – mahdollisuuksia ja haasteita

Viihdepelien räjähdysmäisen suosion kasvun myötä myös hyötypeleille ja pelillistämiselle avautuu erilaisia mahdollisuuksia. Koulutus on yksi niistä yhteiskunnan osa-alueista, jossa hyötypelejä ja pelillistämistä voidaan hyödyntää paljon nykyistä enemmän. Kehityksen tiellä on useita haasteita, joista merkittävimmät ovat hyötypelien ja pelillistämisen tarkoituksenmukainen hyödyntäminen sekä oppimisympäristöjen kehittymättömyys. Hyötypelit ovat pelejä, joilla on huolellisesti mietitty, usein koulutuksellinen tarkoitus. Hyötypelejä ei ensisijaisesti ole tarkoitettu huvin vuoksi pelaamiseen, mutta se ei tarkoita sitä etteikö hyötypelin pelaaminen voisi olla viihdyttävää. Pelillistäminen tarkoittaa peleistä tuttujen rakenteiden soveltamista eri ympäristöihin. Visuaalisuus liittyy pelillistämiseen hyvin läheisesti, koska tärkeä osa pelillistämistä on visualisointi. SeGaBu-hanke (Serious Games Platform for Business and Education) on Euroopan sosiaalirahaston (ESR) rahoittama hanke, jota tehdään yhteistyössä Kajaanin ammattikorkeakoulun, Oulun ammattikorkeakoulun, Oulun yliopiston ja Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulun VirtuaaliAMK-verkoston kanssa. Hankkeessa kehitetään 30 opintopisteen laajuinen hyötypelialan kokonaisuus. Hankkeen opintojaksot ovat VirtuaaliAMK-verkoston hallinnoimalla Moodle-oppimisalustalla

Design of methodology based on gamification for the promotion of values in sports environment

La rivalidad en el deporte es un aspecto complejo de nuestra sociedad que, en numerosas ocasiones, derivan en acciones violentas, especialmente en el fútbol. La UE, en los últimos años, ha financiado proyectos para tratar de prevenir este tipo de conductas, sobre todo entre los niños y jóvenes. En este contexto nace el proyecto europeo SAVEit, es un proyecto cofinanciado por el programa Erasmus+ y en él participan diferentes instituciones europeas con diferentes perfiles profesionales en los campos de la educación, el deporte y la ingeniería informática. El principal objetivo del proyecto es apoyar enfoques innovadores para reducir y prevenir la violencia, así como, combatir el racismo, la discriminación y la intolerancia dentro de los deportes de equipo como es el fútbol. Para conseguir este objetivo se ha diseñado una metodología basada en el uso de técnicas propias de la gamificación para motivar a los niños hacía el aprendizaje de determinados valores deportivos, así como cambiar sus conductas y comportamientos. Este artículo ofrece una descripción completa de la metodología utilizada para promover valores a través de un videojuegoThe rivalry in sports is a complex aspect of our society which, on many occasions, leads to violent actions, especially in football. The EU has financed projects to try to prevent this type of behaviour, especially among children and young people. In this context emerge the SAVEit project. It is a project co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme and involves different European institutions with different backgrounds on education, sports and computer engineering. The main objective of the project is to support innovative and educational approaches to reduce and prevent violence, as well as to combat racism, discrimination and intolerance in grassroots sports such as football. In order to achieve this objective, a methodology has been designed based on the use of gamification techniques to motivate children to learn certain sports values, as well as to change their behaviour. This article provides a complete description of the methodology used to promote values through a video gam

Juegos serios y formación de adultos

En este artículo se presenta un breve ensayo sobre las aportaciones que los juego serios pueden tener en la formación de adultos. Se debate sobre las características de los juegos serios, y cómo éstas se ajustan a los cambios motivacionales por aprender que experimentan las personas a lo largo de su ciclo vital

Game-based Approach in e-Learning

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2016In this article a summary is made of the use of standard electronic game’s methods in e-learning. It shows how game-elements and game-mechanics can be applied in e-learning environments. Different types of Serious games – Game-based learning, Gamification of learning, Organizational-dynamic games, Simulation Games and Edutainment have been discussed. The article introduces the game-based model for learning and 70:20:10 education framework. There are examples for e-Learning environments that include some of the abovementioned game-elements and game-techniques. The focus in the conclusion is on the potential benefits of successful implementation of serious games into a learning environments.Association for the Development of the Information Society, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski

Conditions et contraintes de l’usage de jeux sérieux en classe. Enquête sur le déploiement d’une plateforme dans 30 collèges français

International audienceÀ travers l'analyse de données issus de questionnaires renseignés par les enseignants et élèves usagers, par des observations dans les classes et l'analyse de forums dédiés, notre contribution tentera de cerner les conditions et contraintes, en particulier didactiques, de l'usage d'une plateforme de jeux sérieux déployée dans la région française PACA dans une trentaine de collèges: le projet SCOLA (Système de Communication Ouvert et Ludique pour les Apprentissages) , piloté par un consortium d'universités et d'entreprises de l'industrie du design numérique. Le « démonstrateur » de la plateforme propose (outre des fonctionnalités en terme de classe virtuelle, forums et centre de documentation) des jeux sérieux en mathématiques pour les classes de collège. L'enquête, menée par une équipe de cinq personnes a débuté dès la conception du projet et accompagne la mise en place de l'artefact sous forme de régulations auprès des différents acteurs depuis 2012