North Carolina State University proposes the ENGAGE project to develop, implement, and evaluate a middle grade version of the CS Principles course that is fully situated within an immersive game-based learning environment. ENGAGE has three thrusts: (1) developing and implementing a highly engaging game-based learning environment that delivers a CS Principles course for middle grade students and their teachers; (2) making a significant educational research contribution by evaluating the effectiveness of game-based learning for computer science education; and (3) making a significant contribution to broadening the participation in computing by evaluating the effectiveness of the game-based learning framework for student learning, computing interest, and self-efficacy, particularly for underrepresented groups.
ENGAGE leverages the strengths of game-based learning, particularly narrative-centered learning, in which the game is driven by an engaging and highly motivating story. Within ENGAGE, students explore and solve global computing problems they encounter on a remote volcanic island, Crystal Island. Students work collaboratively, think creatively, deal with "big data," and analyze how their computing artifacts or those created by others are likely to impact their world. The project also includes a major focus on in-service professional development through the EngageToTeach summer institute designed not only to build teachers' computational fluency, but to instill a sense of advocacy toward computing education.
ENGAGE will see the development of a game-based learning environment for middle grade computational fluency that is expected to be highly effective for all students. With a specific focus on serving underrepresented groups, the project will draw on a partnership with North Carolina State University and diverse middle schools, including a public middle school of Johnston County, North Carolina, and a private middle school of Durham, North Carolina.
