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Game On!
Using Video Games to Teach STEM in the Classroom
Adrienne Evans Fernandez, Jamie Reaves Kirkley
4 February 2012
Agenda
Introductions
Games as teaching tools
Overview of the field
Getting support from stakeholders
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover (AEMR)
Review games and learning
Overview of AstroEngineer game
Review the AEMR Teacher’s Guide
Explore a demo of the game
Who Are We…..
WisdomTools, Inc. creates serious games and elearning solutions for education and training
Use entertainment game approaches that engage and
teach; game mapped to objectives and standards
Focus on STEM-focused games that teach difficult
concepts in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover (released Aug 2010)
AeroEngineer: Race to Mars (TBR Aug 2012)
NanoMech (TBR Fall 2012)
The Challenge of STEM
(Science, Math, Engineering & Mathematics)
U.S. is not able to fill STEM-related job positions due to
lack of STEM graduates
Many students lose interest in STEM-related courses at
the middle and high school levels
Minority and female students are more likely to
discontinue taking STEM related courses (National Center for
Education Statistics, 2005)
Minorities are underrepresented in high-level science,
technology, engineering and math occupations (Leslie,
1998)
Serious Games
Serious games (a subset of computer educational
games) seen as a way to engage students in STEM
Federation of American Scientists, Gates and
MacArthur Foundations, Woodrow Wilson Institute, etc.
etc.
White House office examining educational benefits of
video
games:http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/201201-26/edcuational-video-games-white-house/52908052/1
Advantages of Using Serious
Games in STEM
Take students to space!!
Reach students on their own terms; research shows they play
HOURS of video games at home each week
Playing games motivates students, and motivated students learn
more
Build student interest, engagement & learning in STEM
Teach concepts not possible in real life (i.e., dangerous)
Support inquiry-based learning
Combine with hands-on and other types of activities
Use games as part of project and problem based learning curricula
Serious Games & Learning
Serious games can facilitate:
Building interest and learning STEM content/careers
“Strategic thinking, problem solving, plan formulation and execution,
and adaptation to rapid change” (Federation of American Scientists,
2006)
Players are given opportunities for challenge, strategy and
problem-solving (Lazzaro, 2004).
Well-designed games can support:
Problem solving & decision making (Adams, 2006; Gee, 2003; Taradi,
Taradi, Radic & Pokrajac, 2005)
Active learning (Winn, 2008) and creativity
Complex systems thinking and literacies (Steinkuhler, 2008)
Experiments, inventions, & learning by doing (Rickard & Oblinger, 2004)
Team-based challenges/collaboration (Bourgonjon, 2008)
Creativity (Jackson et al, 2011)
Serious Games & PBL
Games more effective when embedded in instructional
program that includes feedback and debriefing (Hays,
2006)
Researchers have promoted the use of digital games
within problem based learning environments (Annetta, Cook
& Schultz, 2007; Kiili, 2005; Maxwell et al, 2004)
Natural ties between PBL and games (Annetta, Cook & Schultz,
2007; Kiili, 2005; Maxwell et al, 2004)
Both are learner centered
Both provide authentic challenges to solve
Both often require collaboration, negotiation, and problem
solving
Disadvantages of Games
Implementation:
Technical support
Learning and curriculum Integration
Clarity of objectives/standards met
Monitoring learning and assessment
Assessment and monitoring of student learning
Debriefing and student report outs
Achievement of learning outcomes
Buy in from admin, parents and IT
Using games in ways that do not support effective STEM learning:
Game as reward only
Game as entertainment only
Babysitting tool
Little or no facilitation of learning in classroom
Games As Teaching Tools
History of using games to support learning
Oregon Trail, SimCity, Math Blaster
Current games and virtual worlds
River City, Wolfquest, Selene, Supercharged!, Whyville.net,
WhyReef, Quest Atlantis, Eco MUVE, Electrical Endeavors
Similarities and differences between simulations, games
& virtual worlds
Sims: First person, focus on realism/fidelity, algorithmic
formula with time and conditions as variables
Games: Provide rewards, entertainment, learn by failure
Virtual Worlds: Persistent world, interactive community
Tips for Gaining Buy In
To get buy in from administrators and parents:
Write brief letter or newsletter article on the specific game
and how it’s being used to support STEM learning in your
classroom
Provide information on learning outcomes and provide
images
To get buy in from IT:
Provide information on technical requirements
Have a back up plan in case Internet goes down!
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover
is an educational video game
created to introduce middle
school students to the
engineering design process.
Developed in partnership with
Project Lead the Way
(PLTW), a non profit that
provides middle and high
engineering curriculum to
schools in all 50 states
™
Project Lead the Way
PLTW approached us in 2009 to
form a partnership.
Gateway to Technology: Middle
school engineering curriculum
Wanted a product that required
students to design solutions to a
problem and reinforce the cyclic
steps of the engineering design
process.
You do NOT have to be affiliated
with PLTW to use AstroEngineer:
Moon Rover!
Engineering Design Process
Game play focuses on use of the engineering design
process to :
Analyze mission requirements and key design
criteria/constraints for an unmanned lunar rover
Design your rover to meet mission requirements by
choosing among various parts (e.g., body type, wheel
type, power source, and sensors)
Test your rover by driving it on an authentic lunar surface
and under realistic conditions
Redesign your rover until the mission is successful and
then move on to the next mission
Background of Game
Set 30 years in the future, the
player is aboard the Goliath, a
manned lunar mobile base
stationed near the Mare Humorum
Core challenge in the game is
design, test, and redesign a lunar
rover based on specific
engineering design criteria and
constraints.
Players design smaller rovers;
confronted with authentic lunar
terrain, hazards, and environmental
conditions
Overall Mission
Game Design
The game itself consists of five sets of missions (a
tutorial, three regular missions, and a rescue mission)
Each mission is comprised of 4 to 5 legs, each with a
different goal.
Speed
Durability
Collection of samples
Each leg will require a different configuration of parts in
order to be successful!
Rover Construction Area
Test Your Rover Design
Mission Feedback Screen
AstroEngineer Leaderboard
AEMR Problem-Centered
Curriculum Unit
Week long teaching unit with:
Game Introduction and Overall Challenge (10 min)
How can the different design choices that you make impact your rover ’s
performance?
What factors influence the design choices that you make?
What strategies can you use to improve your rover design?
Game Play (25 min)
Debriefing (15 min)
What was the core mission today?
What design criteria you were given?
What design constraints did you encounter?
How did you optimize your design?
Classroom Implementation
In a traditional 50 minute
period students are
expected to complete
about 1 mission per day
On block schedules
students can complete 23 missions per day.
Scientifically Authentic
Authentic
Lunar Geography
NASA Images
Vocabulary
Engineering process
Includes Earth and Space science objectives,
including
Characteristics of the Lunar environment
Topographical characteristics and vocabulary
(regolith, rilles, mares, etc.)
Specific locations and structures the game
visits (craters, rimae, etc.)
Common elements and minerals found on the
moon
As close as we could get..
Design Simplifications:
Rover Parts & Capabilities
(middle school audience)
Speeds
Pushing the Envelope…!
Presence of Ice on the
Moon?
Research Findings
Research funded, in part, by NSF
Pre/post quasi-experimental study conducted with 341
middle school students (~equal number of
males/females; racially diverse population)
Females = 54.4% of sample
Males = 45.6% of sample
Students played for ~2 hours (113 minutes) over one
week period, or 45.2% of overall class time; does not
include game introduction and debriefing sessions
Research Findings
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to
examine pre/post differences
Results indicated statistically significant differences in
learning between the pre- and post-test (F [1, 681] =
475.135, p < .001, partial eta-squared = .411), with
higher scores on the post-test
Both male and female students provided positive
feedback on the game’s design, ease of use, and
graphics
Supporting Educators
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover™
includes curriculum support
Teacher Guide
Student Guide
FAQs
Lesson plans
Enrichment activities
The Teacher’s Guide
AstroEngineer: Moon Rover
includes documents to help
you and your students get the
most out of the game
The guide includes
Basic instructional and
narrative overview
Learning objectives
The Teacher’s Guide
Getting started FAQ
Controls and parts
overview for teachers
Mission flow charts
The Teacher’s Guide
Standards Alignment
ITEEA
NSES
NSTA
Glossary
General Moon Terms
Engineering Terms
Description of Parts
Student Guide
Includes
Game Overview
Getting Started Tips
Engineering design
steps
Glossary
Supplemental Activities
Sometimes the internet
goes down.
MINI Card Game!
Extension Opportunities
Additional activities
that can extend the
AstroEngineer:
Moon Rover game
out of the computer
lab.
Tires for the Moon
Cost Analysis
Activities
Release of AEMR
AstroEngineer was released in August 2010 to over
6000 PTLW teachers and 60,000 students, as well as
2500 students in Indiana’s NASA IGNITE STEM
program
AstroEngineer can now be purchased and downloaded
from: http://space.wisdomtools.com
Let’s Play!
Installation
When you get your drive, insert it into your USB port
Select which version you want to install (MAC or PC)
and drag the file to your desktop. PLEASE NOTE: You
cannot run it from the drive!
Double click to unzip (if needed), and have fun!
Questions?
Contact us!
http://www.wisdomtools.com
Adrienne Evans Fernandez
Lead Content and
Curriculum Game Designer
[email protected]
Jamie Kirkley
Chief Learning Officer,
Senior Instructional Designer
[email protected]
AeroEngineer: Race to Mars
Serious game with five game modules and week-long
curriculum unit designed to interest and teach high
school students (10th - 12th grade), particularly females,
about core aerospace engineering concepts