wp2 research & development (year 2)

Luxembourg28th January 2013

European Commission Information Society and Media

GaLAGame and Learning Alliance

The European Network of Excellence on Serious Games

WP2Research & Development (Year 2)

S. Arnab, S. de Freitas, F. Bellotti, T. Lim, I. Stanescu, P. Moreno-ger, A. Brisson, G. Pereira, M. Romero, M. Ninaus, J. Earp, E. Friedrich, S. Kober, B. Manjon, S. Louchart, N. Suttie,

E. Boyle, M. Ott, D. Brown, D. Djaoti, J.P. Jessel

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Content

• Introduction– Key challenges in year 1– Response to reviewer comments– Key activities in year 2

• Year 2 outcomes– Key frameworks– Priority Areas– Summary of contributions of thematic areas

• Further work in year 3• Conclusions

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Introduction: Looking back at year 1

• Key challenges:– Lack of comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of SGs for

learning– The evidence of the relationship between learning transfers and

learning experience using SGs.– Complex relationships between pedagogy, learning and game

mechanics.– Vast majority of gaming and learning components, such as game

engines and learning objects are not made specifically for serious gaming purposes.

– Significant gaps occurs between research and industry practices in terms of standardisation.

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Y1: Foundation

Y2:

Solutions and Validation

Y3 + Y4:

Validation, Application and Evaluation



Introduction: Response to reviewers’ comments

• The resubmitted D2.1 has addressed key recommendations from Year 1 review – acknowledged in the Supplementary Review Report.

• Focus has been maintained on games for learning in Year 2• Top down approach - the key thematic areas and research

questions had driven Year 2 collaborative activities.• The advancement of the state of the art has been

addressed in year 2 (D2.2) , where user experience is one of the key focus (e.g. engaging game play experience while ensuring a meaningful learning process)– Frameworks aiming to advance stealth assessment for SGs,

pedagogical and gaming patterns, flow analysis (see Suttie et al. 2012, Stanescu et al. 2012, del Blanco et al. 2012, Lim et al. 2012, etc.)

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Introduction: Arising key areas from year 1

• Development of a more comprehensive assessment of SG effectiveness for learning that considers the long-term nature of the impact of knowledge and skills learned via SGs.

• A more pedagogically driven design and development of SGs reflecting the complex relationships between pedagogy, learning and game mechanics (entertainment) and taking into account user modelling and user-centred approach.

• New standards and frameworks for serious games able to ensure (1) that game content (characters, learning objects, etc.), can be easily reused and repurposed and (2) that authoring tools for practitioners will be effective and easy to use.

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Thematic Area 1: Assessment of efficacy

Thematic Area 3: Interoperability and

standards

Thematic Area 2: Design of SG



JRAs & RQs

under Thematic

Areas

• GALA R&D frameworks

• e.g. LM-GM, SG-MIF

• 6 RQs

Activities in Year 2

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• Updating and building knowledge base

SoA Analysis

• WP1, WP3• SG study

template• 34 educational

games

SG Studies

T1

T3T2



Year 2 Outcomes: Key Frameworks

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Thematic Area 1: Assessment of

efficacy

Thematic Area 3:

Interoperability and standards

Thematic Area 2: Design

of SG

Analysing flow Learning analytics

Learning – Game Mechanics

SG Ecosystem Beyond SG

SG Components

Graphic Objects Audio

Gameplay

Game MechanicsGraphics Engine

Developing platforms

Programming languages

LMS communication

Evaluation

Clasification

Applicability

Multimodal Interoperability Framework



Year 2 Outcomes: Priority Areas

• Assessing learners, analysing learning and adaptability– The GLAS (Games Learning Analytics System) framework – Flow analysis of learners including playability

• Understanding games for learning constructs to aid evaluation and design

– Learning-Game Mechanics model (LM-GM) towards defining Serious Games Mechanics (SGM)

• Encapsulating key elements for a successful development and deployment of SGs for learning

– The SG-MIF extended with assets from SG Mechanics, SG Architecture, Assessment and Pedagogy, with focus on reusability solutions (models, algorithms, game engines) and emerging analytics standards to foster efficient SG projects and increase the overall quality of SG ecosystems.

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Summary: Thematic area 1

• Advancing areas:– Data management (big data), data analysis, sensor data fusion, stealth

assessment (non-intrusive) and user feedback mechanisms

• GaLA contributions to the field:– SG-Tailored Learning Analytics: the GLAS (Games Learning Analytics System)

framework for analysing play traces to monitor, understand and adapt to the learners

– Neuro-Spectral: on-going studies on neuro spectral player characterization (in particular the flow and presence state)

– SG studies (using the SG Study Framework): on-going focusing on assessment and feedback mechanics and on the use of SGs as knowledge verification tools

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Summary: Thematic area 2

• Learner and pedagogy centric: to design better SGs and deploy more effectively

• GaLA contributions to the field:• Stealth measurement: Link with thematic area 1

• User modeling: as a necessary step towards adaptability and personalization

• Serious Games Mechanics: the relationship between learning and game mechanics.

• Flow analysis: a non-intrusive approach

• Dialogue Management System: for SG players’ interactive knowledge discovery (early lab user tests – WP1)

• Deployment - blended learning: Preliminary results from a synergic project (eSG, on design and deployment of a HE course on entrepreneurship through SGs) have shown that the use of blended learning, including the employment of SGs, looks particularly suited and appealing, especially for certain educational areas and to promote the 21st Century Skills and higher-order thinking skills.

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Theme 1 + Theme 2: Assessment and design

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Measuring flow and neurocognition

User modelling for adaptation

Tracking learners and adapt (GLAS model)

Linking game design to pedagogical patterns (LM-GM model)

Iterative development process

Goal: engaging game play experience while ensuring

a meaningful learning process



Summary: Thematic Area 3

• The extension of the Serious Games Multidimensional Interoperability Framework (SG-MIF)

• Interoperability issues: at macro and micro levels

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Further work in Year 3

• Y3+Y4: Frameworks exploitation in conjunction with the overall GaLA SG Service Framework (SG-SF)

• Year 3 activities:i. Key WP2 activities: Applying, validating and evaluating the

frameworks

ii. GALA activity: SG Studies according to the GaLA SG studies Framework

iii. Focused studies and experiments: on hot topics for research, e.g. stealth/embedded assessment, provision of informative feedback, use of tablets PCs in particular for formal education, the QSensor, high-order (expert-like) thinking support, user experience, more empirical studies.

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Y1: Foundation

Y2:

Solutions and

Validation

Y3 + Y4:

Application, Validation, Evaluation and Exploitation



Coordination and Reporting

• Coordination: Work will be streamlined under the three focused areas identified in main WP2 activity. Each key area will be led by the appointed TC.

i. Learner assessment and adaptivity (lead: TC2.6)• Included TCs: assessment, AI, Neurosciences, psychology, (HCI)

ii. Games for learning constructs to aid evaluation and design(lead: TC2.1)• Included TCs: SG mechanics, architecture, HCI, pedagogy, (psychology)

iii. Interoperability for efficient development and deployment of SGs (lead: TC2.5)• Included TCs: Interoperability, assessment, architecture, pedagogy

• Reporting will be streamlined: as well into 3 key reports under the thematic areas (will clearly indicate contributions and amount of contributions from other TCs)

• The key findings from the 3 reports will be integrated and synthesized: WP2 D 2.3 synthesis report.

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Conclusions

• WP2 has further explored key areas identified in year 1 and addressed issues raised by the reviews.

• Serious Games for Learning has been the key focus.• Identified key areas to be further developed, validated and

exploited as key GaLA contributions to the field.• WP2 measures and publications: WP2 measures is documented

in appendix B. We have currently 61 articles (published and in press).

– 24 Category 1 (Tier 1 journals and conferences) – 8 Category 2 (other peer-reviewed journals and book chapters)– 29 Category 3 (other peer-reviewed conferences)– 10 CORE A – 1 CORE C.

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wp2 research & development (year 2)

Documents

learning experience

learning objects

learning effectiveness

learning content

learning alliance

learning components

learning transfers

driven year