Learning sustainability by making games. The experience of a challenge as a novel approach for Education for Sustainable Development

[EN] Nowadays, the programs of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are designed for changing attitudes on environmental, economic, and social dimensions. In this context, and considering the varied ages of the participating students, it is necessary to implement appropriate pedagogical methods that are generally different from the traditional ones. Among the available approaches, Sustainability serious games (SSGs) appear to be an ideal candidate to facilitate ESD providing students with opportunities to experience the complex issues of sustainability. Besides learning by playing SSG, another relevant opportunity, capable of engaging teachers and students into a relevant and meaningful learning context, is learning by making SSGs, capable of engaging teachers and students into a relevant and meaningful learning context. In light of these comments, this paper proposes a major contribution to the research on learning by making games through a detailed discussion of the results obtained during a University Challenge experience, where students were involved in the design and development of SSGs. The Challenge involved 59 higher education (HE) students who were asked to work in groups to create a (per-group) prototype of a SSG aimed at improving the sustainability of our campus. Results of the Challenge assessment show that this learning approach can indeed be considered a valuable alternative for ESD.Cravero, S.; Strada, F.; Lami, I.; Bottino, A. (2021). Learning sustainability by making games. The experience of a challenge as a novel approach for Education for Sustainable Development. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 651-659. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13192OCS65165

Sustainability of Open Educational Resources: the eCity case

[EN]The promotion of Open Educational Resources (OER) as reusable tools for teachers and students is highly relevant but the nature of the income model requires specific strategies to maintain and update those resources. eCity is a city simulation game that supports a Problem Based Learning (PBL) pedagogical methodology in secondary schools and, at the same time, fosters the interest of students in following an Engineering career. The game is freely available through online stores and the generated interest (about 100.000 downloads so far) has raised the need to discuss and adopt a sustainability strategy for the maintenance of the game and the development of new versions. This article presents possible alternatives for that strategy

Sustainability of Open Educational Resources: the eCity case

[EN]The promotion of Open Educational Resources (OER) as reusable tools for teachers and students is highly relevant but the nature of the income model requires specific strategies to maintain and update those resources. eCity is a city simulation game that supports a Problem Based Learning (PBL) pedagogical methodology in secondary schools and, at the same time, fosters the interest of students in following an Engineering career. The game is freely available through online stores and the generated interest (about 100.000 downloads so far) has raised the need to discuss and adopt a sustainability strategy for the maintenance of the game and the development of new versions. This article presents possible alternatives for that strategy

Improving Knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals through a Collaborative Learning Methodology and Serious Game

The university is a key agent in the process of transformation towards sustainability within the framework of the 2030 Agenda. This study aims to analyze the usefulness of the collaborative learning methodology through a serious game (SG) in the university environment to increase the level of knowledge and the importance given to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by students. Through ex ante and ex post questionnaires, the degree of variation in the knowledge acquired and importance given to the SDGs was measured. To compare the midrange of these two samples and determine whether differences existed, we applied the Student and Wilcoxon t-tests. The results indicate that the methodology used produced an improvement in knowledge about the SDGs. Therefore, it is concluded that the university should promote this type of workshop and SG activities to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, both in the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education and in degrees of other disciplines. Moreover, we have encouraged active learning of the SDGs through collaborative workshops using the design thinking method and an SG called “The Island”, which, based on certain economic, social and environmental information, puts students in a position to govern resources to meet the needs of its population.We are grateful for the financial support received from Campus Bizia Lab programm -19Peña project and Specialized Group of Educational Innovation Business Professionalism UPV/EHU - HBT ADITUAK 2019/20: 117, both supported by University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)

Energy use in social housing residents in the UK and recommendations for developing energy behaviour change interventions

This paper presents a qualitative exploration of domestic energy consumption practices in the UK social housing sector, and perceived effectiveness of varying intervention techniques in motivating energy reductions. The study was conducted using a sample of N = 20 social housing residents, who had recently taken part in a ‘serious game’ energy behaviour change intervention trial, thus making them uniquely positioned to provide such insight and feedback on these issues. A series of one-on-one open-ended interview sessions was conducted in residents’ homes at the end of the intervention period, using an open-ended discussion framework. Thematic analysis revealed that residents were highly engaged with the topic of energy saving, but that several psychological barriers existed which prevented many residents from changing them behaviour. In line with the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Norm Activation Model, these barriers included lack of awareness of the issue, action inertia, and perceived lack of behavioural control. Some residents did make savings following the trial, and our interviews provide useful insight into their decision making and behaviour change processes, including evidence for cross-contextual spillover effects, where residents made savings in other areas. However overall, the serious gaming approach did not inspire engagement from the target population, who frequently mentioned lack of time and/or desire to use overly ‘technical’ solutions for energy savings. Recommendations for ongoing intervention development are discussed, including preference for tailored non-technical visualisation tools and less time intensive versions of the game, and implications for future energy policy development are considered

KSGphysio – Kinect Serious Game for Physiotherapy

Serious games fall under a set of applications capable of improving recovery times by increasing the player's engagement. In this thesis we focus on the possibility of joining that capacity to Microsoft Kinect sensors ability to collect data without the need of additional sensors and present an application capable of giving proper feedback about the player's behaviour during a rehabilitation session. Using an Android OS mobile platform as interface acquired data, the proposed solution is a prototype that aims to facilitate the analysis of the patient’s progress during rehabilitation sessions based on serious games usage. Results associated with arm rehabilitation through serious game, as so as the mobile graphical user interface are included in the present work.Os jogos sérios inserem-se num conjunto de aplicações capazes de melhorar o tempo de recuperação, aumentando o envolvimento do jogador. Nesta dissertação centrámo-nos na possibilidade de unir essas capacidades com a capacidade do sensor Microsoft Kinect para recolher dados sem a necessidade de sensores adicionais e apresentar uma aplicação capaz de dar feedback adequado sobre o comportamento do jogador durante uma sessão de reabilitação. Usando uma plataforma móvel Android OS como interface entre os dados e o utilizador, a solução proposta é um protótipo que visa facilitar a análise da evolução do paciente durante as sessões de reabilitação com base na utilização de jogos sérios. Os resultados associados à reabilitação dos membros superiores através de um jogo sério, bem como as estatísticas apresentadas usando a aplicação móvel, estão incluídas no presente trabalho

7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21)

Information and communication technologies together with new teaching paradigms are reshaping the learning environment.The International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd) aims to become a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas, experiences,opinions and research results relating to the preparation of students and the organization of educational systems.Doménech I De Soria, J.; Merello Giménez, P.; Poza Plaza, EDL. (2021). 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD21.2021.13621EDITORIA

XVIII Simposio Internacional de Informática Educativa, SIIE 2016

El Simposio Internacional de Informática Educativa (SIIE) ofrece un foro internacional para la presentación y debate de los últimos avances en investigación sobre las tecnologías para el aprendizaje y su aplicación práctica en los procesos educativos. También pretende poner en contacto a investigadores, desarrolladores, representantes institucionales y profesores para compartir puntos de vista, conocimientos y experiencias