FIGIT, eLib, Ariadne and the future.

Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib), how some of the other eLib projects influenced the web we have today and what changes have come, and may yet come, to affect how digital libraries work

The effect of scoring and feedback mechanisms in an online educational game

A research and development (R&D) team designed and developed the BiblioBouts online information literacy game to give undergraduate students opportunities to learn and practice information literacy skills using online library research tools and scholarly databases while they work on a research‐and‐writing assignment. To evaluate the alpha version of BiblioBouts, the R&D team analyzed game‐play logs from two undergraduate classes and invited students who played the game in class to participate in focus group interviews. The resulting insights into the impact of scoring and game feedback on student game play were used to help instructors plan for game play in their classes and to help the R&D team improve BiblioBouts. These results also spawned game premises to guide the R&D team and other designers of educational games build better games.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90098/1/14504801038_ftp.pd

Towards a conceptualization of videogames as electronic multimodal discourses

Los videojuegos son prácticas culturales instaladas en nuestras sociedades que requieren de una mirada crítica y especializada; las líneas de investigación que han abordado este fenómeno transitan entre los estudios culturales, la ludología, los estudios narratológicos, la teoría de diseño de juegos y la semiótica del videojuego. Todas estas perspectivas han entregado conceptualizaciones diferentes respecto de este objeto de estudio, yendo desde visiones que van desde considerarlos como medios de expresión contemporáneos hasta promotores de la violencia, el aislamiento y el fracaso escolar.El presente trabajo considera que los videojuegos implican nuevas formas de discursos que no solo se restringen al canal verbal, sino que también contemplan otros recursos semióticos. En concordancia con lo anteriormente expuesto, el objetivo de este escrito es exponer una conceptualización teórica del videojuego desde una perspectiva multimodal y lingüística. Para esto se revisan distintas definiciones sobre videojuego, el concepto de discurso y discurso electrónico-digital y, finalmente, se abordan los recursos semióticos presentes en estos. Esta revisión permite configurar una definición de videojuego como un discurso multimodal electrónico.Videogames are cultural practices installed in our societies that require a specialized and critical view. Lines of research which aboard this phenomenon range from cultural studies, ludology, narratological studies, game design theory and videogame semiotics. All these perspectives have provided different conceptualisations in relation to this object of study, ranging from views that consider it as contemporary ways of expression to promoters of violence, isolation and school failure.The present study considers that videogames imply new forms of discourse which are not only restricted to the verbal channel, but also take into account other semiotic resources. According to what was previously exposed, the objective of this paper is to present theoretical conceptualisation about the videogame from a multimodal and linguistic perspective. For this reason, different definitions of videogame are revised as well as the concept of discourse and digital-electronic discourse, and finally, semiotic resources present on these aspects are aboarded. This review allows to set up a definition of videogame as a multimodal electronic discourse

Endogenous fantasy and learning in digital games.

Many people believe that educational games are effective because they motivate children to actively engage in a learning activity as part of playing the game. However, seminal work by Malone (1981), exploring the motivational aspects of digital games, concluded that the educational effectiveness of a digital game depends on the way in which learning content is integrated into the fantasy context of the game. In particular, he claimed that content which is intrinsically related to the fantasy will produce better learning than that which is merely extrinsically related. However, this distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic (or endogenous and exogenous) fantasy is a concept that has developed a confused standing over the following years. This paper will address this confusion by providing a review and critique of the empirical and theoretical foundations of endogenous fantasy, and its relevance to creating educational digital games. Substantial concerns are raised about the empirical basis of this work and a theoretical critique of endogenous fantasy is offered, concluding that endogenous fantasy is a misnomer, in so far as the "integral and continuing relationship" of fantasy cannot be justified as a critical means of improving the effectiveness of educational digital games. An alternative perspective on the intrinsic integration of learning content is described, incorporating game mechanics, flow and representations

The Impact of Critical Thinking Disposition on Learning Using Business Simulations

This research seeks to determine the relationship between students’ critical thinking disposition and their learning while engaging in a business simulation at a UK higher education institution (HEI). The research informs educators making decisions about the use of simulations as to the value of considering critical thinking dispositions. Previous research has found that simulations are an effective way for students to engage actively in learning, bridging the gap between theory and practice. It has also been found that such simulations can develop students’ critical thinking skills. However, hitherto no research has been undertaken into the role that existing critical thinking disposition has on the learning of students, as measured by the degree to which students perceived that they met the module’s intended learning outcomes. This research offers insights into the role and importance of critical thinking disposition and its component dimensions and how this impacts student learning. The results indicate that the level of critical thinking disposition is positively related to the students’ learning. The implications of the research suggest educators should target business simulations at specific cohorts of students. The relative importance of the critical thinking disposition constructs and the practical educational implications of these findings are discussed

Knowledge for games, games for knowledge: designing a digital roll-and-move board game for a law of torts class

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