The project is supporting a workshop to explore the opportunities and challenges that are presented by the use of games and game-based solutions in engineering and computer science education. It addresses a critical need to assess the current state of video game use in these disciplines and identify future research directions. The workshop is bringing together a diverse group of twenty-five participants from engineering, computer science, science and instructional design who share a common interest in the use of games and related technologies in education. The workshop is working to identify challenges facing educators and researchers when it comes to the design, development, implementation, and assessment of games and game-based solutions in engineering and computer science education. The investigators are posting workshop materials on a website and preparing conference presentations and a review article for publication.
Workshop on Games in Engineering and Computer Science (DUE 0938176) – Outcomes Report Vinod Srinivasan and Karen Butler-Purry A growing body of research indicates that games could have a significant impact on motivation and learning. This has created new opportunities for advancing research and innovation in education. Effective use of educational games has the potential to improve learning outcomes for students in engineering and computer science, two areas of critical importance to the United States. Research also suggests that benefits from the educational use of video games could apply to a broader audience and potentially help address the under-representation of minorities in higher education in these disicplines. The purpose of the Games in Engineering and Computer Science (GECS) workshop was to explore the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of games and game-based solutions in engineering and computer science education. The workshop brought together a diverse group of participants engaged in teaching, research and development as it relates to the use of games in engineering and computer science education. The agenda for the workshop included individual case study presentations and panel discussions. Talks were grouped into the two broad areas of Computer Science and Engineering with an additional session focused specifically on Serious Game Design. A hands-on exercise on game design was also part of the agenda. Participants were split up into smaller groups each led by a game design expert and asked to come up with a design for an educational game on an engineering topic. Participants found the workshop to be helpful and left with a better understanding of the current state of video game use in engineering and computer science education as well as ideas for future research and development as it relates to effective design, development, implementation and assessment of games and game-based solutions in these and allied disciplines. The key findings from the workshop can be summarized as follows: 1. Penetration of games in computer science education is much greater than in engineering. This is partly because game courses are very often offered within computer science departments, while engineering students are typically exposed to games only through electives that they take outside their departments. 2. There is a significant difference in the way games are used in computer science and engineering disciplines. Games are typically incorporated into the curriculum in computer science programs. In engineering, games are more often used as teaching tools, fitting the more traditional interpretation of "serious games". 3. In both engineering and computer science, games are seen as motivational tools. In computer science, games are often dangled as the proverbial carrot to attract students to computer science majors, while in engineering games are often seen as a tool to keep students more engaged in the subject being taught. 4. Considerable research over the last few decades has focused on why games make excellent educational tools. In recent years, the emphasis has shifted to some of the more nuanced aspects of games and game design with a view to isolating components and features of games that make them successful (or unsuccessful) as educational tools. However, there has not been enough effort devoted to making it easier to make educational games. 5. Evaluating educational outcomes from the use of games requires careful design of the instruments and methodologies used. Often standardized tests do not capture the learning that happens even in successful games. However, researchers are often constrained by the need to show improvement in standardized test scores. Creative approaches are needed to assess the effectiveness of games, including the use of debriefing sessions and focus groups in addition to standardized testing.
