Learning problem-solving through making games at the game design and learning summer program

Akcaoğlu, Mete

doi:10.1007/s11423-014-9347-4

Cited by 72 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In a model for computational thinking created by the Somerset e-Learning & information management team [21], making mistakes, perseverance, imagination and collaboration were listed as attitudes that pupils use during the computational thinking process. Furthermore, other studies found that whilst working on their games, pupils had opportunities to apply and develop skills such as collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking, tinkering, persevering [22][23][24]. All these approaches, perspectives and attitudes can be described as learning behaviours since these are the strategies for promoting behaviours that are 'necessary for learning' [25, p.53].…”

Section: Defining Computational Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing computational thinking process using a multiple evaluation approach

Allsop

2019

International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction

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This study explored the ways that the Computational Thinking (CT) process can be evaluated in a classroom environment. Thirty Children aged 10 -11 years, from a primary school in London took part in a game-making project using the Scratch and Alice 2.4 applications for eight months. For the focus of this specific paper, data from participant observations, informal conversations, problem-solving sheets, semi-structured interviews and children's completed games were used to make sense of elements of the computational thinking process and approaches to evaluate these elements in a computer game design context. The discussions around what CT consists, highlighted the complex structure of computational thinking and the interaction between the elements of artificial intelligence (AI), computer, cognitive, learning and psychological sciences. This also emphasized the role of metacognition in the Computational Thinking process. These arguments illustrated that it is not possible to evaluate Computational Thinking using only programming constructs, as CT process provides opportunities for developing many other skills and concepts. Therefore, a multiple evaluation approach should be adopted to illustrate the full learning scope of the Computational Thinking Process. Using the support of literature review and the findings of the data analysis I proposed a multiple approach evaluation model where 'computational concepts', 'metacognitive practices', and 'learning behaviours' were discussed as the main elements of the CT process. Additionally, in order to investigate these dimensions within a game-making context, computer game design was also included in this evaluation model.

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Section: Defining Computational Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing computational thinking process using a multiple evaluation approach

Allsop

2019

International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction

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“…A study comparing two summer camp groups indicated that the group involved in game making also produced measurable improvements in problem solving (Akcaoglu, 2014;Akcaoglu & Koehler, 2014). Whereas 20 students (the experimental group) learned problem-solving skills through designing and testing their own video game using Microsoft Kodu, 24 students (the control group) simply practiced their problem-solving skills by playing already-created games in Kodu.…”

Section: Personal Dimensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning

Kafai

Burke

2015

Educational Psychologist

240

170

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There has been considerable interest in examining the educational potential of playing video games. One crucial element, however, has traditionally been left out of these discussionsnamely, children's learning through making their own games. In this article, we review and synthesize 55 studies from the last decade on making games and learning. We found that the majority of studies focused on teaching coding and academic content through game making, and that few studies explicitly examined the roles of collaboration and identity in the game making process. We argue that future discussions of serious gaming ought to be more inclusive of constructionist approaches to realize the full potential of serious gaming. Making games, we contend, not only more genuinely introduces children to a range of technical skills but also better connects them to each other, addressing the persistent issues of access and diversity present in traditional digital gaming cultures.

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“…This is due in part to the adoption of R in many areas outside of academia, but also because R (and coding languages in general) is a skillset that many employers look for in a potential employee. That is to say learning to code is desirable for today’s students largely due to the fact that coding is a skill that is transferrable between languages and a process that teaches critical thinking and problem solving 20, 30, 31 . So even if a student never codes again, the process of learning to code may benefit the way they approach future work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches to R education in Canadian universities

Carson

Basiliko

2016

F1000Res

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Introduction: R language is a powerful tool used in a wide array of research disciplines and owes a large amount of its success to its open source and adaptable nature. The popularity of R has grown rapidly over the past two decades and the number of users and packages is increasing at a near exponential rate. This rapid growth has prompted a number of formal and informal online and text resources, the volume of which is beginning to present challenges to novices learning R. Students are often first exposed to R in upper division undergraduate classes or during their graduate studies. The way R is presented likely has consequences for the fundamental understanding of the program and language itself; user comprehension of R may be better if learning the language itself followed by conducting analyses, compared to someone who is learning another subject (e.g. statistics) using R for the first time. Consequently, an understanding of the approaches to R education is critical. Methods: To establish how students are exposed to R, we used a survey to evaluate the current use in Canadian university courses, including the context in which R is presented and the types of uses of R in the classroom. Additionally, we looked at the reasons professors either do or don’t use/teach R. Results: We found that R is used in a broad range of course disciplines beyond statistics (e.g. ecology) and just over one half of Canadian universities have at least one course that uses R. Discussion and Conclusions: Developing programming-literate students is of utmost importance and our hope is that this benchmark study will influence how post-secondary educators, as well as other programmers, approach R, specifically when developing educational and supplemental content in online, text, and package-specific formats aiding in student’s comprehension of the R language.

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Learning problem-solving through making games at the game design and learning summer program

Cited by 72 publications

References 24 publications

Assessing computational thinking process using a multiple evaluation approach

Assessing computational thinking process using a multiple evaluation approach

Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning

Approaches to R education in Canadian universities

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