Transferring an educational board game to a multi-user mobile learning game to increase shared situational awareness

Decision-making in sociotechnical systems is complex and error-prone due tointer-dependencies and lack of information [de Bruyn & ten Heuvelhof2008]. Situational information might help to improve shared situationalawareness [Kurapati et al., 2012]. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the role ofcommunication among stakeholders [Salmon et al., 2008]. While most gamebasedlearning approaches focus on skill development and motivational aspects,little work is reported that focus on multi-user learning situations

Lessons Learned from Creating a Mobile Version of an Educational Board Game to Increase Situational Awareness

This paper reports on an iterative design process for a serious game, which aims to raise situational awareness among different stakeholders in a logistics value chain by introducing multi-user role-playing games. It does so in several phases: After introducing the field of logistics as a problem domain for an educational challenge, it firstly describes the design of an educational board game for the field of disruption handling in logistics processes. Secondly, it de-scribes how the board game can be realized in an open-source mobile serious games platform and identifies lessons learned based on advantages and issues found. Thirdly, it derives requirements for a re-design of the mobile game and finally draws conclusions.SALOM

Augmenting the field experience: a student-led comparison of techniques and technologies

In this study we report on our experiences of creating and running a student fieldtrip exercise which allowed students to compare a range of approaches to the design of technologies for augmenting landscape scenes. The main study site is around Keswick in the English Lake District, Cumbria, UK, an attractive upland environment popular with tourists and walkers. The aim of the exercise for the students was to assess the effectiveness of various forms of geographic information in augmenting real landscape scenes, as mediated through a range of techniques and technologies. These techniques were: computer-generated acetate overlays showing annotated wireframe views from certain key points; a custom-designed application running on a PDA; a mediascape running on the mScape software on a GPS-enabled mobile phone; Google Earth on a tablet PC; and a head-mounted in-field Virtual Reality system. Each group of students had all five techniques available to them, and were tasked with comparing them in the context of creating a visitor guide to the area centred on the field centre. Here we summarise their findings and reflect upon some of the broader research questions emerging from the project

Learning Impact Evaluation of the serious game "Cultural Awareness – Afghanistan Pre-deployment"

Attention to human factor in conducting any type of military/security operations is currently an objective of utmost importance in the context of troop training within NATO. To this purpose, a number of serious games were developed, addressing different aspects of cultural awareness and correctness in approaching human beings during a mission. A significant example is "Afghanistan Pre-deployment – Cultural Awareness", a serious game widely adopted in NATO Defense Schools to support pre-deployment training of troops for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) missions in Afghanistan. In the context of GALA, the European Network of Excellence on Serious Games, the Romanian National Defense University (MAN) and NATO-STO CMRE conducted a user study particularly focused on the learning impact of this serious game. The study was first run in parallel on different typologies of players (soldier trainees at MAN; and civilian/military staff at CMRE) in order to get different perspectives in the game test and evaluation; results of respective analyses were compared, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this type of serious game as a learning tool. A preliminary correlation study was conducted between users' perception of the game and their respective background and level of engagement

Introduction to location-based mobile learning

[About the book] The report follows on from a 2-day workshop funded by the STELLAR Network of Excellence as part of their 2009 Alpine Rendez-Vous workshop series and is edited by Elizabeth Brown with a foreword from Mike Sharples. Contributors have provided examples of innovative and exciting research projects and practical applications for mobile learning in a location-sensitive setting, including the sharing of good practice and the key findings that have resulted from this work. There is also a debate about whether location-based and contextual learning results in shallower learning strategies and a section detailing the future challenges for location-based learning

The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Algebraic Procedural and Conceptual Understanding and Motivation Towards Mathematics

This study examined the impact of digital game-based learning (DGBL) on procedural and conceptual understanding of algebraic expressions and equations and the motivation of students towards classroom mathematics. The mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used in this study to collect data to determine the effectiveness of DGBL in a 7th grade STEM class. Following a pre-test and pre-motivation survey, students were assigned to either the DGBL group or the non-gaming computer applications as supplemental to mathematics instruction. In order to address both procedural targets and conceptual targets students would be using the technology interventions in addition to traditional math instruction as part of their daily math class, and a problem-based unit taught as part of their STEM class. Following the treatment, a post-test, post-motivation survey, and a conceptual assessment were administered, as well as a digital questionnaire. No significant differences were detected between their understanding of procedural or conceptual problems, nor was there a significant impact to their motivation towards mathematics based on the quantitative data gathered. Students displayed an enthusiastic response to the DGBL environment based on their transcripts from the follow-up questionnaire. The results of the study imply that there is a need for further development of DGBL systems and scaffolded supports to assist students in making connections from the digital environment to classroom mathematics. It further indicates that enjoyment of the DGBL environment does not necessarily transfer to motivation to learn the subject matter in the non-digital environment