Designing Computer Games to Teach Algorithms

Shabanah, Sahar S.; Chen, Jim X.; Wechsler, Harry; Carr, Daniel B.; Wegman, Edward J.

doi:10.1109/itng.2010.78

Cited by 33 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…A game is a system in which players engage in artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome [14]. Computer games are approaches that provide direct interaction with the player interface to produce visible reactions towards the game device or computer and encourage diversion, play, and competition [15]. Recently, digital games have been considered as one of the most common, fast-growing entertainment methods, raking in a universal market size of $93 billion [16].…”

Section: A Digital Gamesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender-based Engagement Model for Serious Games

Alserri

Zin

Wook

2018

International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology

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Information and Communications Technology (ICT) improve learning quality and increases outcomes while allowing for more natural control of learning systems. It has a significant impact on the economy in many regions. However, there is a lack of female engagement in ICT fields in many countries. Serious Games are effective tools for learning, and it can be used to motivate women to study Computer Science. Gender preference factors affect engagement and motivation to play certain types of digital games, but few studies have designed digital games for females. Furthermore, most games with Computer Science content do not interest young adult females and fail to describe how the social and cultural content of the game explains the game experience of female players. As a solution, an extensive study of related literature on effective Serious Game elements, including motivational elements that influence a player to engage with digital games, effective educational game elements, female preference elements regarding digital games, and elements that impact the motivation of players to engage with the game was conducted. The result is a conceptual model for gender-based engagement in Serious Games. The proposed model will be implemented to increase the engagement of undergraduate females in Computer Science.

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Section: A Digital Gamesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another benefit of GBL is that the time the students spend studying and reading is double that of playing games. As a result, educational games are the best way of teaching today [15]. In general, many studies on Serious Games have been based on different curricula and focused on motivating and engaging players.…”

Section: G Engagement In Serious Gamesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender-based Engagement Model for Serious Games

Alserri

Zin

Wook

2018

International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology

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“…Arachchilage et al [7] designed a mobile game to teach the conceptual knowledge for avoiding phishing attacks. Furthermore, Shabanah et al [146] describe games where players need to simulate algorithms, and Schäfer et al [144] describe how a game-based multitouch learning environment can be used for practicing mathematical logic for computer science education. Moreover, not all games for learning computer science are digital (e.g.…”

Section: Games In Computer Science Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

QR code programming tasks with automated assessment

Hakulinen

Malmi

2014

Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Innovation &Amp; Technology in Computer Science Education - ITiCSE '14

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The main objective of this thesis is to enrich computer science education by studying two gameful teaching interventions: 1) achievement badges and 2) alternate reality games.Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, and achievement badges are one commonly used gamification method that can be used to provide optional challenges for students. We studied the use of achievement badges in a Data Structures and Algorithms course and found out that badges can be used to steer students' behavior even if they are not tied to tangible rewards such as course grades. Specifically, students used more time in the online learning environment, had more sessions in the system, and spent more time between exercise submissions when the badges were used. Furthermore, we found out that students' attitudes towards the badges varied. We also studied the use of badges in relation to achievement goal orientations that characterize students' preferences to different goals and outcomes. We found out that students who had high avoidance orientation were less motivated by the badges than other students. On the other hand, students who were the most motivated by the badges had higher mastery-intrinsic, mastery-extrinsic, and performance-approach orientations, and lower avoidance orientation. Furthermore, we compared the badge intervention with the use of heatmaps that provided feedback on one's behavior in a nongameful way. An interest towards the badges correlated with mastery-extrinsic and performance-approach, whereas interest towards the heatmaps correlated with masteryextrinsic and performance-avoidance orientations.Alternate Reality Games (ARG), are games that blur the line between reality and fiction and typically they involve puzzles and an interactive narrative. We explored the use of ARGs for teaching computer science by organizing an ARG covering a wide range of computer science concepts. In the feedback collected after the game, participants reported learning several computer science concepts during the game. We also evaluated how authenticity, intrinsic motivation, and replayability were taken into account in the game design. Furthermore, we present an example of an educational ARG that was not part of any official curriculum and relied on voluntary participation. Based on the results, alternate reality games seem like a promising approach to be used in computer science education.In addition to evaluating the two approaches, we provide support for applying them in education by describing the implementation of our badge systems and introducing a method for producing automatically assessed programming tasks that are suitable for ARGs. Tiivistelmä Väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan kahta pelillistä tapaa monimuotoistaa tietotekniikan opetusta: 1) suoritusmerkit ja 2) vaihtoehtotodellisuuspelit.Pelillistämisellä tarkoitetaan pelielementtien soveltamista eri ympäristöissä. Suoritusmerkit ovat eräs yleinen pelillistämisen keino, jolla voidaan tarjota opiskelijoille vapaaehtoisia lisä-haasteita. Väitöskir...

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“…However, it is not the only way games can be used in CS education. Shabanah et al [7] give examples of computer games for learning data structures and algorithms. Also, non-computer games can be used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DSAsketch

Hakulinen

2012

Proceedings of the 12th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research

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Visualizations are often used to teach abstract concepts like algorithms and data structures. In this poster, we present a drawing game, DSAsketch, that can be used to practice a wide range of concepts related to data structures and algorithms. During the game, the players are viewing, constructing and presenting their own visualizations. Thus, players are required to engage with the visualizations in many different ways.

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Designing Computer Games to Teach Algorithms

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 33 publications

References 20 publications

Gender-based Engagement Model for Serious Games

Gender-based Engagement Model for Serious Games

QR code programming tasks with automated assessment

DSAsketch

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