In Association With Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Game2Learn REU 2008 Andrew Hicks and Katelyn Doran Katie: Good afternoon, my name is Katelyn Doran Drew: and I’m Andrew Hicks and we have been working with the Game2Learn Project this summer Katie: Our project is EleMental: The Recurrence Andrew Hicks and Katelyn Doran Mentor: Tiffany Barnes Graduate Student Mentor: Amanda Chaffin Game2Learn REU 2008

Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Motivations Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Educational Gaming Motivation Student Gamers Interactive Learning Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Why Recursion? Important Computer Science Concept Difficult to Teach Even Harder to Understand Drew: EleMental: The Recurrence is an educational game Katie: Educational gaming is [insert info about educational games here] Drew: To make a good educational game you must effectively integrate your educational concepts [info about implement educ. concepts here – generalize] Katie: It is also very important to provide strong visual feedback [info about visual feedback] Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Obscure Illustration of Recursion Towers of Hanoi Obscure Illustration of Recursion Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Solution Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

C# using the XNA Framework Features an in-game compiler Game Engine C# using the XNA Framework Features an in-game compiler The game engine we are using was created in Spring 2007 as part of the Advanced Game Design course here at UNC Charlotte, the engine has provided us with several incredibly useful tools such as the in-game compiler, and terrain modification. Our work on EleMental: The Recurrence has had an effect on the engine. For instance, an events manager was implemented which will make it possible to build role playing games based on the engine. Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Code Modifies World Data “Structures” Learning Styles Game Interaction Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

In-Game Compiling Alternative to traditional assignments Goes beyond multiple choice Code errors can be visualized Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Game Play Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Progress This first video shows how the game is laid out in the form and walks through the menu screens (explain game plot) as well as the first coding challenge (explain about compiler) Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Progress This second video shows some of the traversal of the tree, explain the controls, the event manager triggering mechanisms, and terrain mod Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Progress This third video shows the “challenge” aspect of the tree walkthrough, where two bridges are built. Explain how this allows players to demonstrate their knowledge of the traversal and give them visual feedback. Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Progress This final video shows the second coding challenge, explain how this works, get into a bit about parsing the code and the potential to allow user code to take you in the wrong direction, etc. Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Future Work Challenges Visualization Instructions Study Explain future plans for challenges, how the visualization of the code needs to be fine-tuned, how instructions need to be clearer and better implemented into the game (based on play test feedback) and plans for a study (integrate a coding assignment into the game, give the same assignment as just an assignment) Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran

Questions? Comments? Tiffany Barnes: tbarnes2@uncc.edu Amanda Chaffin: katla@wulfcub.com Katelyn Doran: kedoran@uncc.edu Andrew Hicks: agh001@marietta.edu The Game2Learn project is housed within the Games + Learning Lab in Woodward 453. Ask people for questions. Duh. Andrew Hicks & Katelyn Doran