Covid-19 Survivor : Design and Evaluation of a Game to Improve Students’ Experience During Social Isolation

In socio-economic crises, such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial to enhance children’s understanding of the new situation and their choices to protect their physical and mental health. In this paper, we discuss the design of a serious choice-driven simulation game, called “Covid-19 Survivor”, as a means to empower students’ awareness of pandemic risks and consequences through decision making and system analysis. The online game simulates the daily routine of a school student through a system of available choices and consequences to five game fields. We qualitatively evaluated the game in a classroom setting with twenty-six 13 years old students and one IT teacher. The preliminary results demonstrate its potential to influence students’ perceptions and knowledge about the pandemic as well as to enhance their decision-making and systems thinking skills.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Extending Design Thinking with Digital Technologies

The use of emerging technologies (ET), such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), 3D printing and Virtual Robotics (VR) are amongst the EU targeted actions for supporting the digital transformation of education (Digital Education Action Plan, 2021-2027). Yet, despite these technologies being accessible to education stakeholders, there is a lack of concrete pedagogy and teachers' professional development for their meaningful infusion into the current educational context. Extending Design Thinking with Emerging Digital Technologies (Exten (D.T.)2 ) is a [name of funder removed] project aiming to use: AI, AR, VR and 3D printing technologies, to enhance the pedagogical value, sustainable digitization and potential for wide deployment of Design Thinking (DT). DT (Brown, 2008) is a promising pedagogical innovation, based on interdisciplinary co-creation, that can lead to sustainable and feasible product solutions, which has yet to be tested widely in education. Through Design-Based Research (DBR) and a co-production approach with teachers, Exten (D.T.)2 will use emerging technologies and design thinking to design, pilot and scale up a sustainable learning implementation that can foster students' 21st century skills

Collaborative Modding of a Simulation Game: An Approach to the Development of Computational Thinking

The development of Computational Thinking is usually associated with solving closed coding exercises and quizzes. However, most of these approaches focus on teaching fragmented programming knowledge without enabling students to access and develop computational practices such as abstraction, pattern recognition and generalization, which are equally important for computational problem-solving. As a result, many students keep facing difficulties in describing and using these practices, even if they can successfully solve common programming tasks. This paper discusses game modification (modding) as a pedagogical approach to support students in exploring and expressing meanings about computational practices and concepts in an integrated context. In this approach, the game is seen as a complex system that incorporates powerful computational ideas and modding as a tool that makes these, otherwise complex, ideas accessible to students. The paper discusses the results of a design-based study with middle school students who played, evaluated and modified a simulation game in ChoiCo (Choices with Consequences) environment. The environment integrates three affordances for game design and modding: a) A map-based editor b) a database and c) block-based programming. The aim of the study was to investigate how construct meanings about computational thinking concepts and practices when they collaboratively modify the simulation game with the above affordances. The results indicate that game modding can provide a scaffold for students to gradually develop their understanding of computational practices and concepts. As students transformed from players to designers they discussed, changed and constructed increasingly complex modifications to the rules, the mechanics and the relations of the game system. During modding, they developed meanings about computational practices such as pattern recognition and abstraction and concepts such as conditionals and variables

Programming as an aspect of computational literacy and computational thinking: the case of designing and modding digital games

Even though "computational thinking" is considered a core 21st-century skill, there is still limited knowledge about the mental process by which children may perceive, express and use the most complex computational practices such as abstraction. This research seeks to identify and describe students' strategies for solving authentic problems computationally. It focuses on studying and analyzing student activity during the collaborative modding of digital games with the use of integrated computational affordances, such as programming, dynamic manipulation and visual data handling. The thesis presents the analysis and results of design-based research with junior-high-school students implemented in the school context. The participant students played and modified two digital games in two online programming applications, developed for this study, that integrate different computational affordances. The results highlight and elaborate on student strategies that involve the expression and use of complex computational thinking practices, such as abstraction strategies, data pattern recognition strategies and system level-analysis strategies, which had not been analyzed and described before. They further show that the integrated affordances, as well as the familiar and structured game context, played a significant role in the development of students' strategies.Αν και η «υπολογιστική σκέψη» θεωρείται απαραίτητη δεξιότητα του 21ου αιώνα, δεν γνωρίζουμε επαρκώς τις νοητικές διαδικασίες με τις οποίες τα άτομα, και ιδιαίτερα τα παιδιά, μπορούν να αντιληφθούν, να εκφράσουν και να χρησιμοποιήσουν τις πιο σύνθετες πρακτικές της, όπως η αφαίρεση. Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή επιδιώκει να εντοπίσει και να περιγράψει τις στρατηγικές που επινοούν και εφαρμόζουν οι μαθητές, για να επιλύσουν αυθεντικά προβλήματα με υπολογιστικό τρόπο. Ειδικότερα, μελετάται η δραστηριότητα των μαθητών κατά τη συνεργατική διασκευή ψηφιακών παιχνιδιών με διασυνδεδεμένες υπολογιστικές λειτουργικότητες όπως ο προγραμματισμός, ο δυναμικός χειρισμός και η οπτική διαχείριση δεδομένων. Η διατριβή παρουσιάζει την ανάλυση και τα αποτέλεσματα αποτελέσματα μιας ποιοτικής έρευνας σχεδιασμού που υλοποιήθηκε με μαθητές Γυμνασίου σε συνθήκες τάξης. Οι μαθητές έπαιξαν και διασκεύασαν δυο ψηφιακά παιχνίδια σε δυο διαδικτυακά λογισμικά προγραμματισμού, που αναπτύχθηκαν στα πλαίσια της παρούσας έρευνας και το καθένα ενσωματώνει διαφορετικές υπολογιστικές λειτουργικότητες. Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας αναδεικνύουν στρατηγικές των μαθητών που περιλαμβάνουν την εφαρμογή σύνθετων πρακτικών υπολογιστικής σκέψης, όπως στρατηγικές υπολογιστικής αφαίρεσης, αναγνώρισης μοτίβων δεδομένων και ανάλυσης συστήματος σε επίπεδα, οι οποίες δεν είχαν περιγραφεί μέχρι σήμερα. Η χρήση των διασυνδεδεμένων λειτουργικοτήτων καθώς και το οικείο και δομημένο πλαίσιο που διαμορφώθηκε από το παιχνίδι φάνηκε ότι ήταν καθοριστικοί παράγοντες για την ανάπτυξη των στρατηγικών των μαθητών

RobIn: A Half-baked Robot for Electronics in a STEM Context

Robotic kits in designs for STEM education are becoming popular during the last few years. However, many of them focus mainly on programming leaving aside the electronics and engineering parts of robotics. In this paper we present Robin (Robotic Insect), a robotic design that supports the equivalent coexistence of programming, construction and argumentation processes in corresponding educational robotic activities. Robin challenges students to change it, improve it and expand its prototype robotic skeleton by using every day and affordable materials. We also present a study where Robin functioned as a boundary object among students from different specializations of a Vocational Technical School

Using online games in textile engineering education

Recent technological advancements have a fundamental potential to transform 21st century textile engineering [1]. Thus, it is essential to further incorporate innovations in industry. In textile engineering education alike, innovative teaching methods, for instance, learning through virtual reality [2], learning by making [3], and game-based learning [4] are apt, and in fact, required methods to teach these subjects for Industry 4.0 in a more understandable and holistic way. Specifically, game-based learning is seen as beneficial in textile engineering education in the part of knowledge acquisition, student engagement and independent learning [4]. This paper presents a pilot study about how online textile games (‘ChoiCo’-Choices with Consequences) co-created with industry partners in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project (T-CREPE), have been incorporated into a design engineering course in a university in Belgium. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the impact of using digital games in textile engineering education and students’ gains from this approach. Ten (n = 10) textile engineering students participated in questionnaires providing quantitative and qualitative data about the games. Also, reflection reports written by students for each game provided personal insights. The results have shown that games can be useful in textile engineering education by improving students’ 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, self-learning)

Using online games in textile engineering education

Recent technological advancements have a fundamental potential to transform 21st century textile engineering [1]. Thus, it is essential to further incorporate innovations in industry. In textile engineering education alike, innovative teaching methods, for instance, learning through virtual reality [2], learning by making [3], and game-based learning [4] are apt, and in fact, required methods to teach these subjects for Industry 4.0 in a more understandable and holistic way. Specifically, game-based learning is seen as beneficial in textile engineering education in the part of knowledge acquisition, student engagement and independent learning [4]. This paper presents a pilot study about how online textile games (‘ChoiCo’-Choices with Consequences) co-created with industry partners in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project (T-CREPE), have been incorporated into a design engineering course in a university in Belgium. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the impact of using digital games in textile engineering education and students’ gains from this approach. Ten (n = 10) textile engineering students participated in questionnaires providing quantitative and qualitative data about the games. Also, reflection reports written by students for each game provided personal insights. The results have shown that games can be useful in textile engineering education by improving students’ 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, self-learning)

Game modding for learning design thinking on an e-learning platform

Design Thinking (DT) is not merely a well-known design methodology but also an entire mindset towards solving complex societal problems in an innovative way. Its popularity in diverse disciplines beyond design, is due to its relation with the development of key 21st-century skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Teaching the DT mindset has always required methods different from the traditional, one-way, mainly teacher-led approaches in which students play a more passive role in the learning process. Such creative methods include constructivist teaching practices, such as learning-by-doing and learning-by-making. Game modding, which is defined as the modification of existing games, is also seen as a constructivist teaching approach since in this way students learn by designing a game. The experience is argued to increase the engagement and interaction of players with the game, and combine the roles of player and designer. However, using game modding to teach the DT mindset remains poorly researched. This paper discusses the outcomes of a pilot study developed in the scope of the in-progress Erasmus+ KA2 project ‘T-CREPE’ (Textile Engineering for Co-Creation Paradigms in Education). This study investigates the influence of game modding on students’ adoption of the DT mindset through the use of an online learning platform that enables a game modding experience. This platform includes games that students can play, modify, and/or design their own in the process of developing a project. Students (n = 240) and teachers (n = 9) from three higher education institutions in Belgium and Greece participated in this study. The quantitative and qualitative data collected has provided information on their experiences of game modding while cultivating a DT mindset. The findings of the study indicate that game modding enables students to practise critical questioning, constructionism and co-creation, which are core elements of the DT mindset

Game modding for learning design thinking on an e-learning platform

Design Thinking (DT) is not merely a well-known design methodology but also an entire mindset towards solving complex societal problems in an innovative way. Its popularity in diverse disciplines beyond design, is due to its relation with the development of key 21st-century skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Teaching the DT mindset has always required methods different from the traditional, one-way, mainly teacher-led approaches in which students play a more passive role in the learning process. Such creative methods include constructivist teaching practices, such as learning-by-doing and learning-by-making. Game modding, which is defined as the modification of existing games, is also seen as a constructivist teaching approach since in this way students learn by designing a game. The experience is argued to increase the engagement and interaction of players with the game, and combine the roles of player and designer. However, using game modding to teach the DT mindset remains poorly researched. This paper discusses the outcomes of a pilot study developed in the scope of the in-progress Erasmus+ KA2 project ‘T-CREPE’ (Textile Engineering for Co-Creation Paradigms in Education). This study investigates the influence of game modding on students’ adoption of the DT mindset through the use of an online learning platform that enables a game modding experience. This platform includes games that students can play, modify, and/or design their own in the process of developing a project. Students (n = 240) and teachers (n = 9) from three higher education institutions in Belgium and Greece participated in this study. The quantitative and qualitative data collected has provided information on their experiences of game modding while cultivating a DT mindset. The findings of the study indicate that game modding enables students to practise critical questioning, constructionism and co-creation, which are core elements of the DT mindset