Course description
The course focuses on the design and implementation of serious games, namely games that are being design from the beginning for educational purposes. This is in contrast with games that have been designed for entertainment but are deployed in educational contexts. Serious games offer advantages in learning, because their educational design means that learning does not have to be adjusted to the game features; rather the game is developed for seamless integration into learning. Serious games are used to build skills and competencies, training for crisis management, health, as well as promoting positive attitudes and perceptions. Popular sectors in which serious games are used include formal education, business training, and health.
Serious games use game elements such as clear missions and objectives, rewards, recognition, feedback, avoidance of penalties, and more to promote learner engagement, to motivate learners, and to reinforce knowledge. When designed well and in lines with educational objectives, serious games offer complementary digital channels for knowledge development that exploit exploration, experimentation, and learning by doing.
Serious games are particularly useful as initial training in cases when physical training may be too expensive or involve risk. Examples of the former is the need to train employees in factory facilities that are in operation; using the facilities for training would result in lessening production, which has a significant cost. An example of the latter is pilot training, surgeon training, and more; initial training in a virtual environment may contribute to the development of skills before individuals actually practice them in real life conditions.
Description of the participants
The course is an elective in the second year of studies of the master’s programme “Applied Informatics” of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Thessaly. The course is attended by 31 individuals. The individuals are professionals with diverse backgrounds, including educators, military professionals, and others.
Timeframe
Spring 2020.
Description of active learning activities
The course activities balance theoretical and practical work. The theoretical work involves game design concepts similar to those described for above for course ECE516: Design and Implementation of digital games. Theoretical work also includes pedagogical principles, such as the benefits of active, experiential, and problem-based learning and supporting research work of well-known researchers including Papert, who introduced the concept of microworlds – simplified representations of the real world that are relevant in game design – and Piaget, a psychologist that worked on the cognitive development of individuals among topics.
Practical work involves the design and development of a serious game. As a serious game, it must have educational objectives and address specific educational or training needs of a well-defined target group. Students begin the work by building a game concept, which they present to the class. Given the background of the participants, game development can take place through digital tools, such as Unity, javascript, or the simple to use Scratch and AppInventor environment that are appropriate for non-developers; it can also take place as physical, non-digital prototypes. The development of the digital games takes place in the computer labs of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. At the end of the course students demo their games to the class. The most well designed games are published on the ALIEN platform; they, or instructions on their implementation, are openly accessible to all.
The class takes place either through physical presence or from a distance. Given the current situation on the Covid, the class was delivered through eLearning for the 2nd half of the semester.
