The University of Florida proposes to provide 51 teachers and over 3600 students with an interesting experience and opportunities for biotechnology learning. This project will create a computer-based game and supporting curriculum for promoting workforce development in the area of biotechnology; prepare teachers to implement the game and supporting curriculum through a summer professional development program; and determine how the game and supporting curriculum affects student disposition towards careers in biotechnology and understanding of biotechnology content. The project team (consisting of science educators, educational technologists, scientists, curriculum writers, and professional development providers) will collaborate with a professional game design company to design the computer game. The project will use a mixed-methods research design that makes use of case studies, pre/post test data, and comparison group to determine the efficacy of the game and supporting curriculum as a platform for improving student dispositions towards careers in biotechnology.
The goal of the OUTBREAK project was to build understanding of how gaming environments can promote student interest in and preparation for careers in biotechnology. This goal was actualized through the pursuit of three aims: Aim 1: Create a computer-based game and supporting curriculum for promoting workforce development in the area of biotechnology. Aim 2: Prepare teachers, who work with high percentages of students from groups underrepresented in the sciences, to implement the game and supporting curriculum. Aim 3: Determine how the game and supporting curriculum affect student dispositions toward careers in biotechnology and understandings of biotechnology content. Aim 1: Development of the game and curriculum The OUTBREAK team created a computer based game entitled Mission Biotech (MBt). MBt is available for free download on the project website: http://missionbiotech.com. MBt is a first-person adventure game in which players assume the role of a biotechnologist working to stop the spread of viral diseases. In addition to game development, the OUTBREAK Team developed curriculum to support classroom use of MBt. The Teacher Guide and supporting resources provide a project overview, describe MBt and its purpose, offer lesson plans and assessments, and provide other curriculum materials. In year three, extensive edits and improvements were made to the MBt curriculum materials. Aim 2: Teacher professional Development In the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012, we worked with high school science teachers in summer institutes. The purpose of these professional development efforts was to share the MBt game and associated curriculum. By the end of the project, we had provided formal professional development to 150 teachers. In addition to the formal professional development opportunities, we worked with a number of other teachers in more ad hoc ways. Based on average number of classes taught by high school science teachers and the average number of students in high school science classes, the teachers with whom we worked have a potential to work with approximately 17,000 students per year. Aim 3: Research on career dispositions and science content Research activities were framed primarily by three primary sets of research questions: 1) How do teachers implement a game-based biotechnology curriculum unit? What are teachers’ perceptions of a game-based biotechnology curriculum unit, including the game and the supporting curricular resources? What are teachers’ perceptions of their classroom implementation of the game-based biotechnology curriculum unit? 2) Can a game-based, biotechnology curriculum support student learning of biological principles? What are the effects of a game based curriculum on relative to varying academic levels? 3) Does a game-based biotechnology intervention invoke changes in students’ interest in science and careers in science? How is interest in science and careers in science related to student prior knowledge? In order to pursue the questions grouped in the first set, we conducted five case studies of classroom implementation of MBt. These case studies involved extensive observations of teachers and students as they used the game and supporting curriculum. They also included document analyses and multiple teacher interviews. The case studies provide unique evidence related to how teachers adapt technology-based curriculum to meet their own goals, teaching styles, and demands of their own contexts. This research yielded five specific implications for design and implementation of game-based curriculum. The second and third sets of research questions were explored through a quasi-experimentally designed study. For the research, we worked with 42 teachers and collected data from 2,221 students. Data consisted of pre- and post-intervention assessments of science content and interest in science and careers in science. Analyses related to student learning of science content provide compelling evidence that students can learn significant biological content through experiences in an educational game. The results suggest that students from all academic levels (Advanced Placement, honors and general levels) learned science content, but that lower level students benefited more than their peers from higher academic levels. Analyses related to potential changes in student interest in science and science careers suggested that students’ game experiences had limited effects on interest, at least as measured by the survey used in this analysis. Overall, the OUTBREAK project was successful in creating an educational game related to biotechnology designed to support student learning of biological principles and generate interest in biotechnology related careers. The game and supporting materials were introduced to over 150 teachers and several thousand students used the new learning tool. Research conducted with 42 teachers and 2,221 students indicate that the game successfully supports science teaching and learning, but the intended impacts on interest in science careers was not achieved. Results suggest that the research community needs to develop more sophisticated tools to measure student interest in careers and that if games are used to support science interest, they will likely need to be designed for lengthier learning experiences.
