Adventure Author

Robertson, Judy; Nicholson, Keiron

doi:10.1145/1297277.1297285

Cited by 31 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…It is then beneficial for the learner to have several "free" sessions to concentrate on building and test their game as they wish before introducing Comment Cards for peer and self-evaluation towards the end of the project. Adventure Author was designed and evaluated using the CARSS learner centred design framework (Good & Robertson, 2006;Robertson & Nicholson, 2007). This framework guides designers as they consider the context, activities, roles, stakeholders and skills required of the design team.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of a game-making project on male and female learners’ attitudes to computing

Robertson

2013

Computer Science Education

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There is a pressing need for gender inclusive approaches to engage young people in computer science. A recent popular approach has been to harness learners' enthusiasm for computer games to motivate them to learn computer science concepts through game authoring. This article describes a study in which 992 learners across 13 schools took part in a game-making project. It provides evidence from 225 pre-test and posttest questionnaires on how learners' attitudes to computing changed during the project, as well as qualitative reflections from the class teachers on how the project affected their learners. Results indicate that girls did not enjoy the experience as much as boys, and that in fact, the project may make pupils less inclined to study computing in the future. This has important implications for future efforts to engage young people in computing.

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confidence: 99%

The influence of a game-making project on male and female learners’ attitudes to computing

Robertson

2013

Computer Science Education

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“…Prior research has highlighted the significance of offering additional creative support within programming environments. For instance, Robertson et al [52] implemented a creative process model in game design, which provides children with enhanced support and feedback during open-ended programming tasks. Howland et al [23] showcased Narrative Thread, a storytelling-based game design tool that streamlines the development of more complex game characters, dialogues, and events.…”

Section: Enhancing Creativity In Scratch Learning Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

ChatScratch: An AI-Augmented System Toward Autonomous Visual Programming Learning for Children Aged 6-12

Chen,

Xiao,

Chen

et al. 2024

Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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As Computational Thinking (CT) continues to permeate younger age groups in K-12 education, established CT platforms such as Scratch face challenges in catering to these younger learners, particularly those in the elementary school (ages 6-12). Through formative investigation with Scratch experts, we uncover three key obstacles to children's autonomous Scratch learning: artist's block in project planning, bounded creativity in asset creation, and inadequate coding guidance during implementation. To address these barriers, we introduce ChatScratch, an AI-augmented system to facilitate autonomous programming learning for young children. ChatScratch employs structured interactive storyboards and visual cues to overcome artist's block, integrates digital drawing and advanced image generation technologies to elevate creativity, and leverages Scratch-specialized Large Language Models (LLMs) for professional coding guidance. Our study shows that, compared to Scratch, ChatScratch efficiently fosters autonomous programming learning, and contributes to the creation of high-quality, personally meaningful Scratch projects for children. CCS CONCEPTS• Social and professional topics → Computational thinking; K-12 education; • Human-centered computing → Interactive systems and tools.

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“…Papert argued that learning is most effective when part of an activity the learner experiences as constructing a meaningful product. Findings from research on game making point out some benefits such as enhancing problem solving skills [13], fostering creativity [14] and ability to learn programming skills [15].…”

Section: ) Learning Through Game Makingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Games-based Learning: How it Influences the Learning Experience and Outcomes of Primary School Children

Razak

Connolly

2013

Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn.

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Under the new Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), teachers at schools across Scotland are encouraged to use constructivist learning approaches that promote challenge and enjoyment in learning. One of them is through the use of games-based learning (GBL) technologies in classroom education, where the students are not only expected to learn by playing computer games, but also creating computer games. Two teacher surveys were conducted across primary schools in two separate regions in the West of Scotland to identify how GBL is being implemented within primary schools. The results showed that the use of GBL, especially the game making approach, was very limited. Following the surveys, several school-based field works were conducted to identify and compare the learning experience and outcomes from the teachersâ?? and studentsâ?? perspectives when using GBL and non-GBL (the traditional) approaches. This paper summarizes the result of one case study conducted at one primary school in Scotland. The participants were the teacher and her students in Primary 4 level. They were exposed to learning times tables using two different approaches, one using computer games and the other one without the use of computer games. The findings have shown that the learning outcome is slightly better when using computer games. However, in terms of the learning experience, the teacherâ??s pedagogical style has a great influence on the studentsâ?? preferences and enjoyment in learning for both approaches. Overall, the findings have strengthened the fact that using computer games does not eliminate the role of the teacher. To maximize the potential of a GBL approach, more training and exposure to GBL are needed to help the teachers increase their understanding and capacity in using this approach. With proper support from the teacher, GBL can make learning more engaging, provide better learning outcomes and make the process of learning less tedious.

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Adventure Author

Cited by 31 publications

References 8 publications

The influence of a game-making project on male and female learners’ attitudes to computing

The influence of a game-making project on male and female learners’ attitudes to computing

ChatScratch: An AI-Augmented System Toward Autonomous Visual Programming Learning for Children Aged 6-12

Using Games-based Learning: How it Influences the Learning Experience and Outcomes of Primary School Children

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