What do we know about the ergonomic conditions that are needed to create an effective online educ... more What do we know about the ergonomic conditions that are needed to create an effective online educational game for seniors? Two approaches were used to establish these conditions: a comparative analysis of the literature on the subject and a survey of seniors (55 and older) about their digital gaming habits. This paper presents the ergonomic criteria, in terms of design and user-friendliness, which were used to adapt the Bingo game to make it an online educational game.
Although research shows the link between flow and social interaction, this study explore the role... more Although research shows the link between flow and social interaction, this study explore the role of ICT skills in order to experience flow and social interaction. We used constructivism theory as it explains how humans make meaning from personal experiences, social interaction and tool use. The theory of flow was applied because it stipulates that people experience flow when they are fully engaged in any activity (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi 2002). A pre and post-test was answered to determine the significance of ICT skills in relation to the experience of flow and social interaction during gameplay. We described the experiences of each participant using a case study and all the participants reported flow, social interaction in relation to their level ICT skills. We found that minimum ICT skills used for daily online operations are needed for older adults to experience flow and social interaction.
Our Canadian project is investigating the use of digital games to enhance seniors’ quality of lif... more Our Canadian project is investigating the use of digital games to enhance seniors’ quality of life. By digital games we mean games played face-to-face or online on a computer, handheld device, or videogame machine. A shift is occurring towards an aging population as the proportion of people aged 60 and over is growing rapidly. Successful aging, that is, maintaining an independent, positive and meaningful quality of life, is a continual challenge for seniors, yet it is paramount for individual seniors, their families, and society. The potential for technology to support seniors living well and experiencing things that make life worth living has received much less attention than the mental and social challenges they face. However, evidence suggests that technology can provide people with meaningful and engaging activities that are stimulating, enjoyable and fun. In particular, technologybased games promise many benefits to seniors, but research evidence is sparse about whether and how...
Pourquoi certains etudiants perseverent et d’autres abandonnent dans leurs etudes universitaires ... more Pourquoi certains etudiants perseverent et d’autres abandonnent dans leurs etudes universitaires ? En formation a distance (FAD), peut-on agir sur cette realite et proposer des adaptations ? Dans une perspective ou la FAD connait une evolution significative dans plusieurs regions du monde (CSE, 2015) et qu’au Canada, les etablissements d’enseignement superieur accordent de plus en plus d’importance au developpement de la FAD (Bates et al., 2017), il apparait tout a fait legitime de se poser ces questions. Depuis plus d’une quarantaine d’annees, plusieurs theories apportent un eclairage sur le phenomene de l’abandon et de la persistance, retention ou de la perseverance dans les etudes postsecondaires. Tinto (1992) classe ces theories selon qu’elles sont d’orientation psychologique (caracteristiques des etudiants), sociale (statut social, ethnie, etc.), economique (cout/efficacite), organisationnelle (taille de l’etablissement, ressources, etc.) et interactionnelle (integration social...
Introduction: Choosing Wisely Canada has reported rates of unnecessary head computed tomography (... more Introduction: Choosing Wisely Canada has reported rates of unnecessary head computed tomography (CT) scans for low-risk mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients in Ontario and Alberta ranging from 14% to 46%. Local data for Quebec is currently not available. We sought to estimate the overuse of CT scans among adults with mTBI in the emergency department (ED) of a single level II trauma center in Quebec. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of adults who visited the ED of Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis from 04/01/2016 to 03/31/2017. Using an administrative database (Med-GPS, Montreal), we randomly sampled ED patients aged over 18 that had an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13 to 15 and had suffered from a mTBI in the last 24 hours. We excluded patients with an unclear history of trauma, a bleeding disorder/anticoagulation, a history of seizure, any acute focal neurological deficit, a return visit for reassessment of the same injury, unstable vital signs, or a pregnancy. Dat...
Video game-based interventions have been increasingly explored as a means to prevent or reverse a... more Video game-based interventions have been increasingly explored as a means to prevent or reverse age-related declines in attention, executive control, memory, and processing speed. Further, the gamification of interventions aimed at improving mental and physical health, and encouraging healthy behaviors, holds promise with respect to promoting intervention engagement and adherence. Successful implementation of game-based and gamified interventions depends on the ability to design games that older adults are willing and able to play, which ultimately depends on understanding the game preferences of older adults, and the challenges and barriers to video gameplay. To explore these issues, this paper presents data collected from U.S. participants as part of the Intervention Comparative Effectiveness for Adult Cognitive Training (ICE-ACT) clinical trial. This trial aimed to understand the impact of various interventions on cognition and everyday task performance. Three intervention arms involved video game play: BrainHQ training (gamified cognitive training), Rise of Nations training (commercial complex real-time strategy game), and a control group that played Sudoku, crossword, and word search computer programs. After each game session, participants rated their game experience and provided comments in a game diary. This paper presents analyses of these diary data. The largest differences observed were between attitudes toward the control games and Rise of Nations. Control games were strongly preferred and were perceived as more motivating compared to Rise of Nations, and there was a trend for Rise of Nations to be perceived as more frustrating than BrainHQ. The observed preference for puzzle games, and an aversion for the violent and complex content of Rise Nations, is consistent with previous survey and focus group data of older adults' game preferences. Results have implications for designing game-based and gamified interventions for older adults that will encourage enjoyment, engagement, and adherence.
Study programme withdrawal and student perseverance in post-secondary education are major challen... more Study programme withdrawal and student perseverance in post-secondary education are major challenges for post-secondary institutions, especially in view of the increasing difficulty of retaining the student clientele during the first year of university studies. To analyse the challenges students face in terms of learning strategies, we asked students to identify the cognitive and self-regulatory strategies that they would like to enhance in order to succeed in their education. We conduct a descriptive analysis of 824 respondents from 7 university accounting programmes to highlight the main learning strategies that failed to work for our sample, mainly for time management, listening, and reading, and attention, concentration, and memorisation management. The students report that they are unable to effectively manage their time (balance family, work, and studies) or estimate the time they need to devote to their studies. They mention being unaware of strategies for easily retaining the information they read in books or texts and for listening to teacher presentations, doing exercises to apply the procedures that they are required to learn, or problem solving. They also report difficulties with concentration and recall. Learning difficulties, lack of project writing skills, and thinking about dropping out are found to be positively related to study withdrawal. Gaps in information search strategies and feeling dissatisfied with results despite the effort expended negatively affect student academic performance and thus increase the likelihood of student withdrawal.
A collaborative project of several Quebec universities, this study investigates nontraditional st... more A collaborative project of several Quebec universities, this study investigates nontraditional student withdrawal from undergraduate accounting programmes. A nontraditional student is older than 24, or is a commuter or a part-time student, or combines some of these characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses of student dropout factors were performed. A logistic regression for full-time students indicates several significant determinants of student withdrawal: returning to school after working for some time, enrolment in a non-first choice programme, dissatisfaction with programme choice and courses, and low grade point average (GPA). For part-time students, low GPA is the main explanatory factor for student withdrawal. Other factors appear to be instrumental in withdrawal decisions, such as management of external resources (time and family responsibilities) for women. The results suggest that students would benefit from university support services to acquire learning strategies that improve perseverance. Lastly, in-class learning activities that help bolster grades could decrease student withdrawal rates.
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, 2016
A developmental research study aimed to design, publicize and evaluate an online educational game... more A developmental research study aimed to design, publicize and evaluate an online educational game to improve the quality of life for seniors 55 years and older. The game Live Well, Live Healthy! (cvje2.savie.ca) is a Bingo game in which the learning content in the study was integrated into the mechanism of the game. A "pre-test/post-test" single group methodology measured the impact of the game in three dimensions of quality of life: psychological, physical and social. A total of 56 seniors played for a week in the multiplayer mode (real-time interaction with at least two other participants). The results indicate that the educational game improved the perception of seniors in a majority of the variables concerning the three dimensions: physical (fatigue, sleep, eating habits); social well-being (building ties, social connectedness, friendships) and psychological well-being (depression, difficulty doing activities, mood and feeling of being loved). Some variables (sadness, isolation, proximity to family and physical habits) generated a weak perception of positive benefits for these seniors.
Within the framework of our research, we distributed a questionnaire to students in two CEGEPs, b... more Within the framework of our research, we distributed a questionnaire to students in two CEGEPs, being careful to take into account both the opinions of students moving through a normal curriculum and those of students who were experiencing learning problems or difficulties 1. From this sample, 192 college students (of whom 67 were at Collège Lionel-Groulx and 125 at Cégep de Sherbrooke) answered our survey, and this on a voluntary basis. The majority of these students (51%) were in their fourth term at college while a minority (4.7%) were experiencing their very first terms.
International Journal of E Learning Distance Education, Aug 11, 2008
Au Québec, deux types d'enseignement universitaire sont offerts aux adultes : l'enseignement trad... more Au Québec, deux types d'enseignement universitaire sont offerts aux adultes : l'enseignement traditionnel et la formation à distance. La recherche en cours a tenté de répondre à la question suivante: « Existe-t-il une différence entre les caractéristiques individuelles des étudiants admis dans un programme offert sur campus et ceux admis dans un programme offert à distance? » Quatre hypothèses ont été formulées et des questionnaires sur le profil d'apprentissage ont été remplis par 335 étudiants en sciences humaines. Les résultats démontrent qu'il existe effectivement une différence significative au plan des motifs d'études, du style d'apprentissage, du style cognitif et du lieu de contrôle.
This full paper comprises five parts: (1) the problems associated with asthma in the province of ... more This full paper comprises five parts: (1) the problems associated with asthma in the province of Quebec and Canada; (2) the theoretical framework for the knowledge acquisition and attitude change enhanced by our online educational game, created by starting from the popular board game Parchesi, and intended for students in a senior secondary school health education program (15 and 17 years old); (3) the methodological approach, including the quasi-experimental research protocol, the target population, the variables being studied, the measurement instruments, the data analysis, and a description of the educational game; (4) the results of the pilot testing with regard to the game's design, user-friendliness, and pedagogical readability, and (5) the results of the pilot test of the measurement instruments (i.e., questionnaires) that assess the structuring of knowledge and attitude change.. Health Education: The Problem of Asthma Asthma is one of the more prevalent chronic diseases in Canada, affecting more than 10% of the population. The consequences of this disease are numerous and the human and socioeconomic costs that result from this are enormous. Despite numerous efforts to develop practical guides based on available evidence, gaps still remain in our understanding of the evaluation and treatment of asthma.
A literature review was conducted as part of a development project to flesh out a number of issue... more A literature review was conducted as part of a development project to flesh out a number of issues: How can game component design be adapted to accommodate seniors' physical or intellectual limitations? How should a game interface and its components be displayed on the screen to facilitate game navigation? What restrictions should be considered when selecting computer game equipment to be used by seniors? What are the guidelines for efficient game audio, video and text readability? This communication first presents the pedagogical and technological adaptations of the online educational game: "Live Well, Live Healthy!" This adaptation of the Bingo game has allowed us to introduce learning content with the objective of improving the quality of life for seniors. Second, the methodology used for the validation of the ergonomics of this educational game with seniors and third, the results of validation and the recommendations from the seniors to improve the ergonomic conditions.
Millions of students are investing significant time in playing online games. Why not use these ga... more Millions of students are investing significant time in playing online games. Why not use these games to promote responsible behaviours among young people? In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the introduction into a serious game of appropriate mechanisms to support motivation, together with effective ergonomic design, can enhance young people's learning through gameplay. We developed a serious game, Water Game, using a generic shell for serious games (GSSG), and tested it with 156 secondary school students. The results show a high degree of student appreciation for the motivational support mechanisms and ergonomic conditions that were implemented in the game to support attitude change. Recommendations are offered to developers of serious online games for learning purposes.
2009 Fourth International Multi-Conference on Computing in the Global Information Technology, 2009
In this project, we transferred Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a well-known pedagogy for medical e... more In this project, we transferred Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a well-known pedagogy for medical education, to an online environment by transforming it into a simulation where students could practice their skills collaboratively in a risk-free setting. This paper describes the design of a conceptual model and development of a software platform to allow learners to collaborate online in discussing PBL cases. Early testing has been extremely promising, largely due to the extensive work done earlier to build the ENJEUX-S online game platform. Thanks to this work, it has been possible to extend this platform from online games to online simulations. Our first test of the PBL model with undergraduate students was successful in facilitating their critical thinking and was well-received. We are now planning to use COMPSoft in medical schools and to conduct comprehensive evaluation studies of both the model and the platform.
The authors of this chapter carried out a systematic review of the literature from 1998 to 2008 w... more The authors of this chapter carried out a systematic review of the literature from 1998 to 2008 with the goal of developing conceptual definitions of game, simulation, and simulation game based on their essential attributes. This chapter first describes the motivation for this project and its methodological approach. It then introduces the databases consulted, and the analysis grid used. Finally, it presents the review results, which suggest a differentiation among games, simulations and simulation games. This analysis is intended to improve the precision of future research studies concerning the effects on learning of games, simulations, and simulation games.
What do we know about the ergonomic conditions that are needed to create an effective online educ... more What do we know about the ergonomic conditions that are needed to create an effective online educational game for seniors? Two approaches were used to establish these conditions: a comparative analysis of the literature on the subject and a survey of seniors (55 and older) about their digital gaming habits. This paper presents the ergonomic criteria, in terms of design and user-friendliness, which were used to adapt the Bingo game to make it an online educational game.
Although research shows the link between flow and social interaction, this study explore the role... more Although research shows the link between flow and social interaction, this study explore the role of ICT skills in order to experience flow and social interaction. We used constructivism theory as it explains how humans make meaning from personal experiences, social interaction and tool use. The theory of flow was applied because it stipulates that people experience flow when they are fully engaged in any activity (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi 2002). A pre and post-test was answered to determine the significance of ICT skills in relation to the experience of flow and social interaction during gameplay. We described the experiences of each participant using a case study and all the participants reported flow, social interaction in relation to their level ICT skills. We found that minimum ICT skills used for daily online operations are needed for older adults to experience flow and social interaction.
Our Canadian project is investigating the use of digital games to enhance seniors’ quality of lif... more Our Canadian project is investigating the use of digital games to enhance seniors’ quality of life. By digital games we mean games played face-to-face or online on a computer, handheld device, or videogame machine. A shift is occurring towards an aging population as the proportion of people aged 60 and over is growing rapidly. Successful aging, that is, maintaining an independent, positive and meaningful quality of life, is a continual challenge for seniors, yet it is paramount for individual seniors, their families, and society. The potential for technology to support seniors living well and experiencing things that make life worth living has received much less attention than the mental and social challenges they face. However, evidence suggests that technology can provide people with meaningful and engaging activities that are stimulating, enjoyable and fun. In particular, technologybased games promise many benefits to seniors, but research evidence is sparse about whether and how...
Pourquoi certains etudiants perseverent et d’autres abandonnent dans leurs etudes universitaires ... more Pourquoi certains etudiants perseverent et d’autres abandonnent dans leurs etudes universitaires ? En formation a distance (FAD), peut-on agir sur cette realite et proposer des adaptations ? Dans une perspective ou la FAD connait une evolution significative dans plusieurs regions du monde (CSE, 2015) et qu’au Canada, les etablissements d’enseignement superieur accordent de plus en plus d’importance au developpement de la FAD (Bates et al., 2017), il apparait tout a fait legitime de se poser ces questions. Depuis plus d’une quarantaine d’annees, plusieurs theories apportent un eclairage sur le phenomene de l’abandon et de la persistance, retention ou de la perseverance dans les etudes postsecondaires. Tinto (1992) classe ces theories selon qu’elles sont d’orientation psychologique (caracteristiques des etudiants), sociale (statut social, ethnie, etc.), economique (cout/efficacite), organisationnelle (taille de l’etablissement, ressources, etc.) et interactionnelle (integration social...
Introduction: Choosing Wisely Canada has reported rates of unnecessary head computed tomography (... more Introduction: Choosing Wisely Canada has reported rates of unnecessary head computed tomography (CT) scans for low-risk mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients in Ontario and Alberta ranging from 14% to 46%. Local data for Quebec is currently not available. We sought to estimate the overuse of CT scans among adults with mTBI in the emergency department (ED) of a single level II trauma center in Quebec. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of adults who visited the ED of Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis from 04/01/2016 to 03/31/2017. Using an administrative database (Med-GPS, Montreal), we randomly sampled ED patients aged over 18 that had an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13 to 15 and had suffered from a mTBI in the last 24 hours. We excluded patients with an unclear history of trauma, a bleeding disorder/anticoagulation, a history of seizure, any acute focal neurological deficit, a return visit for reassessment of the same injury, unstable vital signs, or a pregnancy. Dat...
Video game-based interventions have been increasingly explored as a means to prevent or reverse a... more Video game-based interventions have been increasingly explored as a means to prevent or reverse age-related declines in attention, executive control, memory, and processing speed. Further, the gamification of interventions aimed at improving mental and physical health, and encouraging healthy behaviors, holds promise with respect to promoting intervention engagement and adherence. Successful implementation of game-based and gamified interventions depends on the ability to design games that older adults are willing and able to play, which ultimately depends on understanding the game preferences of older adults, and the challenges and barriers to video gameplay. To explore these issues, this paper presents data collected from U.S. participants as part of the Intervention Comparative Effectiveness for Adult Cognitive Training (ICE-ACT) clinical trial. This trial aimed to understand the impact of various interventions on cognition and everyday task performance. Three intervention arms involved video game play: BrainHQ training (gamified cognitive training), Rise of Nations training (commercial complex real-time strategy game), and a control group that played Sudoku, crossword, and word search computer programs. After each game session, participants rated their game experience and provided comments in a game diary. This paper presents analyses of these diary data. The largest differences observed were between attitudes toward the control games and Rise of Nations. Control games were strongly preferred and were perceived as more motivating compared to Rise of Nations, and there was a trend for Rise of Nations to be perceived as more frustrating than BrainHQ. The observed preference for puzzle games, and an aversion for the violent and complex content of Rise Nations, is consistent with previous survey and focus group data of older adults' game preferences. Results have implications for designing game-based and gamified interventions for older adults that will encourage enjoyment, engagement, and adherence.
Study programme withdrawal and student perseverance in post-secondary education are major challen... more Study programme withdrawal and student perseverance in post-secondary education are major challenges for post-secondary institutions, especially in view of the increasing difficulty of retaining the student clientele during the first year of university studies. To analyse the challenges students face in terms of learning strategies, we asked students to identify the cognitive and self-regulatory strategies that they would like to enhance in order to succeed in their education. We conduct a descriptive analysis of 824 respondents from 7 university accounting programmes to highlight the main learning strategies that failed to work for our sample, mainly for time management, listening, and reading, and attention, concentration, and memorisation management. The students report that they are unable to effectively manage their time (balance family, work, and studies) or estimate the time they need to devote to their studies. They mention being unaware of strategies for easily retaining the information they read in books or texts and for listening to teacher presentations, doing exercises to apply the procedures that they are required to learn, or problem solving. They also report difficulties with concentration and recall. Learning difficulties, lack of project writing skills, and thinking about dropping out are found to be positively related to study withdrawal. Gaps in information search strategies and feeling dissatisfied with results despite the effort expended negatively affect student academic performance and thus increase the likelihood of student withdrawal.
A collaborative project of several Quebec universities, this study investigates nontraditional st... more A collaborative project of several Quebec universities, this study investigates nontraditional student withdrawal from undergraduate accounting programmes. A nontraditional student is older than 24, or is a commuter or a part-time student, or combines some of these characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses of student dropout factors were performed. A logistic regression for full-time students indicates several significant determinants of student withdrawal: returning to school after working for some time, enrolment in a non-first choice programme, dissatisfaction with programme choice and courses, and low grade point average (GPA). For part-time students, low GPA is the main explanatory factor for student withdrawal. Other factors appear to be instrumental in withdrawal decisions, such as management of external resources (time and family responsibilities) for women. The results suggest that students would benefit from university support services to acquire learning strategies that improve perseverance. Lastly, in-class learning activities that help bolster grades could decrease student withdrawal rates.
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, 2016
A developmental research study aimed to design, publicize and evaluate an online educational game... more A developmental research study aimed to design, publicize and evaluate an online educational game to improve the quality of life for seniors 55 years and older. The game Live Well, Live Healthy! (cvje2.savie.ca) is a Bingo game in which the learning content in the study was integrated into the mechanism of the game. A "pre-test/post-test" single group methodology measured the impact of the game in three dimensions of quality of life: psychological, physical and social. A total of 56 seniors played for a week in the multiplayer mode (real-time interaction with at least two other participants). The results indicate that the educational game improved the perception of seniors in a majority of the variables concerning the three dimensions: physical (fatigue, sleep, eating habits); social well-being (building ties, social connectedness, friendships) and psychological well-being (depression, difficulty doing activities, mood and feeling of being loved). Some variables (sadness, isolation, proximity to family and physical habits) generated a weak perception of positive benefits for these seniors.
Within the framework of our research, we distributed a questionnaire to students in two CEGEPs, b... more Within the framework of our research, we distributed a questionnaire to students in two CEGEPs, being careful to take into account both the opinions of students moving through a normal curriculum and those of students who were experiencing learning problems or difficulties 1. From this sample, 192 college students (of whom 67 were at Collège Lionel-Groulx and 125 at Cégep de Sherbrooke) answered our survey, and this on a voluntary basis. The majority of these students (51%) were in their fourth term at college while a minority (4.7%) were experiencing their very first terms.
International Journal of E Learning Distance Education, Aug 11, 2008
Au Québec, deux types d'enseignement universitaire sont offerts aux adultes : l'enseignement trad... more Au Québec, deux types d'enseignement universitaire sont offerts aux adultes : l'enseignement traditionnel et la formation à distance. La recherche en cours a tenté de répondre à la question suivante: « Existe-t-il une différence entre les caractéristiques individuelles des étudiants admis dans un programme offert sur campus et ceux admis dans un programme offert à distance? » Quatre hypothèses ont été formulées et des questionnaires sur le profil d'apprentissage ont été remplis par 335 étudiants en sciences humaines. Les résultats démontrent qu'il existe effectivement une différence significative au plan des motifs d'études, du style d'apprentissage, du style cognitif et du lieu de contrôle.
This full paper comprises five parts: (1) the problems associated with asthma in the province of ... more This full paper comprises five parts: (1) the problems associated with asthma in the province of Quebec and Canada; (2) the theoretical framework for the knowledge acquisition and attitude change enhanced by our online educational game, created by starting from the popular board game Parchesi, and intended for students in a senior secondary school health education program (15 and 17 years old); (3) the methodological approach, including the quasi-experimental research protocol, the target population, the variables being studied, the measurement instruments, the data analysis, and a description of the educational game; (4) the results of the pilot testing with regard to the game's design, user-friendliness, and pedagogical readability, and (5) the results of the pilot test of the measurement instruments (i.e., questionnaires) that assess the structuring of knowledge and attitude change.. Health Education: The Problem of Asthma Asthma is one of the more prevalent chronic diseases in Canada, affecting more than 10% of the population. The consequences of this disease are numerous and the human and socioeconomic costs that result from this are enormous. Despite numerous efforts to develop practical guides based on available evidence, gaps still remain in our understanding of the evaluation and treatment of asthma.
A literature review was conducted as part of a development project to flesh out a number of issue... more A literature review was conducted as part of a development project to flesh out a number of issues: How can game component design be adapted to accommodate seniors' physical or intellectual limitations? How should a game interface and its components be displayed on the screen to facilitate game navigation? What restrictions should be considered when selecting computer game equipment to be used by seniors? What are the guidelines for efficient game audio, video and text readability? This communication first presents the pedagogical and technological adaptations of the online educational game: "Live Well, Live Healthy!" This adaptation of the Bingo game has allowed us to introduce learning content with the objective of improving the quality of life for seniors. Second, the methodology used for the validation of the ergonomics of this educational game with seniors and third, the results of validation and the recommendations from the seniors to improve the ergonomic conditions.
Millions of students are investing significant time in playing online games. Why not use these ga... more Millions of students are investing significant time in playing online games. Why not use these games to promote responsible behaviours among young people? In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the introduction into a serious game of appropriate mechanisms to support motivation, together with effective ergonomic design, can enhance young people's learning through gameplay. We developed a serious game, Water Game, using a generic shell for serious games (GSSG), and tested it with 156 secondary school students. The results show a high degree of student appreciation for the motivational support mechanisms and ergonomic conditions that were implemented in the game to support attitude change. Recommendations are offered to developers of serious online games for learning purposes.
2009 Fourth International Multi-Conference on Computing in the Global Information Technology, 2009
In this project, we transferred Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a well-known pedagogy for medical e... more In this project, we transferred Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a well-known pedagogy for medical education, to an online environment by transforming it into a simulation where students could practice their skills collaboratively in a risk-free setting. This paper describes the design of a conceptual model and development of a software platform to allow learners to collaborate online in discussing PBL cases. Early testing has been extremely promising, largely due to the extensive work done earlier to build the ENJEUX-S online game platform. Thanks to this work, it has been possible to extend this platform from online games to online simulations. Our first test of the PBL model with undergraduate students was successful in facilitating their critical thinking and was well-received. We are now planning to use COMPSoft in medical schools and to conduct comprehensive evaluation studies of both the model and the platform.
The authors of this chapter carried out a systematic review of the literature from 1998 to 2008 w... more The authors of this chapter carried out a systematic review of the literature from 1998 to 2008 with the goal of developing conceptual definitions of game, simulation, and simulation game based on their essential attributes. This chapter first describes the motivation for this project and its methodological approach. It then introduces the databases consulted, and the analysis grid used. Finally, it presents the review results, which suggest a differentiation among games, simulations and simulation games. This analysis is intended to improve the precision of future research studies concerning the effects on learning of games, simulations, and simulation games.
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Papers by Louise Sauvé