Applying formal design methods to serious game design:a case study

An important step in the design of an effective educational game is the formulation of the to-be-achieved learning goals. The learning goals help shape the content and the flow of the entire game, i.e. they provide the basis for choosing the game’s core (learning) mechanics. A mistake in the formulation of the learning goals or the resulting choice in game mechanics can have large consequences, as the game may not lead to the intended effects. At the moment, there are many different methods for determining the learning goals; they may be derived by a domain expert, based on large collections of real-life data, or, alternatively, not be based on anything in particular. Methods for determining the right game mechanics range from rigid taxonomies, loose brainstorming sessions, to, again, not any method in particular. We believe that for the field of educational game design to mature, there is a need for a more uniform approach to establishing the learning goals and translating them into relevant and effective game activities. This paper explores two existing, non-game design specific, methods to help determine learning goals and the subsequent core mechanics: the first is through a Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA), which can be used to analyse and formalize the problem and the knowledge, skills, attitudes that it is comprised of, and the second is through the Four Components Instructional Design (4C-ID), which can be used to determine how the task should be integrated into an educational learning environment. Our goal is to see whether these two methods provide the uniform approach we need. This paper gives an overview of our experiences with these methods and provides guidelines for other researchers on how these methods could be used in the educational game design process

MeCo: a digital card game to enhance metacognitive awareness

\u3cp\u3eA key concept within 21st-century skills is knowing how to acquire new knowledge and skills. Metacognition is the knowledge a person has of their own learning combined with the skills to apply that knowledge to enable more efficient and effective learning. Game-based learning can stimulate motivation as well as learning, but while various reviews have pointed out the opportunity for digital games to promote metacognition, little is known about how games can be designed to accomplish this. If we want learners to become better at learning with games, we need to investigate how metacognition can be supported and trained through game-based learning. Previous research has identified generic principles for designing metacognitive training, while only a few principles specific to game-based learning have been suggested. We designed the mobile game MeCo based on these design principles. MeCo was inspired by the mobile game Reigns and replicates its mechanic of exploring a dynamically branching story through choice-making by swiping cards left or right. However, in MeCo the objective is to learn as much as possible about different planets and their inhabitants, by planning, performing, and evaluating space exploration missions. Two metacognitive interventions were added to promote the transfer of metacognition to real-world learning situations: metacognitive question prompts and metacognitive feedback. A preliminary evaluation of the game was conducted using questionnaires and focus groups. Players found the game motivating enough to engage with the story and to be willing to play the game in their free time. Furthermore, they found that their in-game choices mattered, although more linear parts were preferred over more dynamically branching parts of the game. However, the humour in the narrative interfered with the more serious nature of metacognitive questions, resulting in players not taking the questions seriously enough to have an impact on metacognitive awareness. The implications for designing motivating digital games to enhance metacognition are discussed.\u3c/p\u3

Towards a Framework for Metacognition in Game-Based Learning

\u3cp\u3eGame-based learning can motivate learners and help them to acquire new knowledge in an active way. However, it is not always clear for learners how to learn effectively and efficiently within game-based learning environments. As metacognition comprises the knowledge and skills that learners employ to plan, monitor, regulate, and evaluate their learning, it plays a key role in improving their learning in general. Thus, if we want learners to become better at learning through game-based learning, we need to investigate how metacognition can be integrated into the design of game-based learning environments. In this paper we introduce a framework that aids designers and researchers to formally specify the design of game-based learning environments encouraging metacognition. With a more formal specification of the metacognitive objectives and the way the training design and game design aims to achieve these goals, we can learn more through analysing and comparing different approaches. The framework consists of design dimensions regarding metacognitive outcomes, metacognitive training, and metacognitive game design. Each design dimension represents two opposing directions for the design of a game-based learning environment that are likely to affect the encouragement of metacognitive awareness within learners. As such, we introduce a formalised method to design, evaluate and compare games addressing metacognition, thus enabling both researchers and designers to create more effective games for learning in the future.\u3c/p\u3

Towards a framework for metacognition in game-based learning

Game-based learning can motivate learners and help them to acquire new knowledge in an active way. However, it is not always clear for learners how to learn effectively and efficiently within game-based learning environments. As metacognition comprises the knowledge and skills that learners employ to plan, monitor, regulate, and evaluate their learning, it plays a key role in improving their learning in general. Thus, if we want learners to become better at learning through game-based learning, we need to investigate how metacognition can be integrated into the design of game-based learning environments. In this paper we introduce a framework that aids designers and researchers to formally specify the design of game-based learning environments encouraging metacognition. With a more formal specification of the metacognitive objectives and the way the training design and game design aims to achieve these goals, we can learn more through analysing and comparing different approaches. The framework consists of design dimensions regarding metacognitive outcomes, metacognitive training, and metacognitive game design. Each design dimension represents two opposing directions for the design of a game-based learning environment that are likely to affect the encouragement of metacognitive awareness within learners. As such, we introduce a formalised method to design, evaluate and compare games addressing metacognition, thus enabling both researchers and designers to create more effective games for learning in the future.</p