Digital Games Research Association Conference, May 31, 2005
As multiplayer games evolve in functionality and with respect to the number of participants, inga... more As multiplayer games evolve in functionality and with respect to the number of participants, ingame communication between players is increasing. As in-game communication increases, games may be considered the natural medium for computer based communication in general. Special issues may arise due to the real-time nature of many games, as intraplayer communication must not interfere with other parts of the gameplay. To obtain information on the extent to which computer based chat is spontaneously associated with multiplayer games, an empirical study was conducted. Children from age 10 to age 15 were interviewed about their computer based communications. To ensure unbiased results, game related issues were never brought up by the interviewer. Results show that multiplayer games were spontaneously pinpointed by 16.83% of the interview subjects being asked about their computer chat habits. Positive remarks dominated, but some negative aspects were also mentioned, such as difficulty chatting and playing simultaneously.
As peer-to-peer file sharing is a widespread and user friendly technique ideally suited to distri... more As peer-to-peer file sharing is a widespread and user friendly technique ideally suited to distribute illegally produced copies of computer games, the users attitudes towards acquiring games through this medium is of great interest. To obtain information on the extent to which peer-to-peer file sharing is associated with computer games distribution, and the nature of these associations, an empirical study was conducted. Children from age 10 to age 15 were interviewed about their computer based communication habits and attitudes. To ensure unbiased results, games and games related issues were never brought up by the interviewer. Results show that the distribution of computer games were spontaneously pinpointed by 15.58% of the interview subjects being asked about their peer-to-peer file sharing habits. Younger students showed a significantly more positive attitude towards this activity, while a majority of the older students pointed out negative aspects of acquiring computer games this way. Through the negative quotes given, the concept of empathy with game designers is identified as having potential as a possible counterfactor.
As the usage of computer games as teaching tools are being discussed and empirically studied, the... more As the usage of computer games as teaching tools are being discussed and empirically studied, the use of unmodified, commercial, off-the-shelf games is an interesting possibility. As this may have implications on the teachers role, possibly requiring it to be different from when using specially adapted game-like education software, the students attitudes towards the learning potential of computer games with and without accompanying teacher efforts are of great interest.
To effectively support digital game adoption in education, stakeholders need to understand teache... more To effectively support digital game adoption in education, stakeholders need to understand teachers’ current game-based teaching practices, challenges, and needs. This study investigates digital game use of teachers at compulsory and upper secondary school levels in Sweden. Data were collected from 181 respondents during spring 2019 through an online survey. Cluster analysis and descriptive statistics are used to establish the characteristics of game-using teachers and explore their teaching practices, challenges, and professional development needs. Based on their disposition, three subsets of game-using teachers are identified. Findings indicate that a more positive disposition is related to increased pedagogical integration, a greater variety of game use, higher and more varied educational outcomes, as well as interest in professional development. Perceptions of inhibiting factors of games-based teaching tend to shift with teachers’ level of game-based teaching competency. Results highlight teachers’ need for good quality games with curricular relevance as well as relevant professional development options. Moreover, the potential of games to facilitate a collaborative form of learning and skill development may not have been yet fully realized in Swedish schools. Future research should have a twofold focus; the development of adequate game resources that can support collaborative forms of learning and higher-level skills development, as well as competency development solutions for teachers relevant to their needs.
Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education,... more Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education, but their use is not yet a widespread practice. Meta-research indicates that empirical evidence for ...
No reproduction, copy or transmission may be made without written permission from the individual ... more No reproduction, copy or transmission may be made without written permission from the individual authors. Review Process Papers submitted to this conference have been double-blind peer reviewed before final acceptance to the conference. Initially, abstracts were reviewed for relevance and accessibility and successful authors were invited to submit full papers. Many thanks to the reviewers who helped ensure the quality of all the submissions. Ethics and Publication Malpractice Policy ACPIL adheres to a strict ethics and publication malpractice policy for all publicationsdetails of which can be found here: http://www.academic-conferences.org/policies/ethics-policy-for-publishing-in-theconference-proceedings-of-academic-conferences-and-publishing-international-limited/ Conference Proceedings The Conference Proceedings is a book published with an ISBN and ISSN. The proceedings have been submitted to a number of accreditation, citation and indexing bodies including Thomson ISI Web of Science and Elsevier Scopus. Author affiliation details in these proceedings have been reproduced as supplied by the authors themselves.
International Journal of Digital Information and Wireless Communications, 2013
Playing games to support learning is a classic concept that is seeing a revival today in the wide... more Playing games to support learning is a classic concept that is seeing a revival today in the widespread use of computer games. Inserting educational content into various types of computer games is a strong trend that some researchers have described as a mad rush. The aim of this article is to discuss possible learning stimulating effects of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games in a long-term perspective. We argue that COTS game players’ attitudes towards learning may change in a positive direction even in cases where direct learning outcomes are not aimed for. This may be the case when in-game skills are described in terms of real life skills commonly associated with higher education. When a high enough skill level is achieved, then and only then is the player rewarded with pleasant in-game experiences. The causality of the perceived experience is ideally that with high enough skills, positive stimulation follows. The contribution of the gaming lies not in the short-term learning outcome, but rather in the long-term effects it may have on future educational choices. Even if such a game do not fulfil the criteria for learning games it may still be seen as a learning stimulating game.
ABSTRACT Well-designed games can support intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation, but to what d... more ABSTRACT Well-designed games can support intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation, but to what degree the use of computer games stimulates learning has been widely discussed during the last decade. Some researchers claim that it is the underlying architecture in digital games that provides the learning potential. The use of computer games as a tool for social inclusion in remedial education has also been investigated and presented as a promising idea. Less has been written on how groups should be formed to support school drop-outs and scaffold their inclusion and create a way towards a second chance to education for disaffected youth. The aim of this study is to describe and discuss how game based learning might facilitate the integration of disaffected youth through the avoidance of stigmatising remedial education groups. Empirical data has been collected from a secondary education initiative called The Digital Room. This was a project where all participants had a strong interest in computer games but different educational background. The two main groups can briefly be described as students with grades in core subjects in a traditional secondary school curriculum, and school drop-outs without a complete set of core subject grades. Interviews were conducted with participants from both groups in a longitudinal study between 2005 and 2010, including a retrospective follow-up. Findings show that the initial group division that still was present after two years of the project later had dissolved when new interviews were carried out towards the end of the project. From a teacher's perspective this game-based setup facilitated individual student support in a heterogeneous group with large variations in study techniques and learning tempo.
Journal of Educational Technology Systems, Jun 1, 2015
Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented ... more Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented formal education can constitute a foundation for further socialization of pupils excluded in school. However, digital illiteracy and traditional views among school staff forced a regression from the game-oriented formal trial education in this study back to the traditional education form. Research questions were as follows: How did the pupils act upon the consequences of the regression? How can these acts inform the design of education in digital culture? These questions were addressed using ethnography over 3 years. The pupils' acts differed depending on their socialization in school and in games. While the game-oriented formal education included all in the socialization process, the regression caused half of the pupils to drop out. The pupils' acts are discussed with a conceptual framework. Conclusions show the need for digital literacy and understanding pupils' perspectives on education among school staff.
Preventing cheating in online as well as more traditional examination is important, but achieving... more Preventing cheating in online as well as more traditional examination is important, but achieving zero cheating is hard or impossible without repelling not only cheaters but also those who would not cheat. A zero-tolerance emphasis on cheating shifts the focus from what is being learned to test scores, destroying the intrinsic motivation of learning. Test scores are only meaningful within the education, while the actual learning is what creates meaning outside of the education. What forms of cheat prevention in online examinations are reasonable in relation to traditional examination, without ruining the students' intrinsic motivation? A literature study was conducted. From the discussion of previous research it can be concluded that zero tolerance of cheating in online examination is unrealistic, unnecessary and not required compared to traditional examination. Further, zero tolerance could also ruin the intrinsic motivation of learning. This enables forms of examination such as web camera observation but also dialogue based interaction for examination.
ABSTRACT Providing information using a modality that is both non-visual and non-auditory such as ... more ABSTRACT Providing information using a modality that is both non-visual and non-auditory such as haptic feedback, may be a viable approach regarding web accessibility for deaf-blind. Haptic navigation systems have been shown to be easy to learn (Venesvirta 2008), and modulating navigation related information as patterns of vibrations has been shown to be perceived as natural and non-intrusive (Szymzcak, Magnusson and Rassmus-Gröhn 2012). To minimise the bandwidth needed, a varying length encoding scheme such as Morse code may be considered. A prototype Morse code vibration modulated system for web page navigation was developed, using a standard game controller as a means of output. Results show that simulated deaf-blind test subjects using the system were able to navigate a web site successfully in three cases out of four, and that in some situations a version of the system with a higher degree of manual interaction performed better.
The so called "N-generation" or the "Digital natives" extensive use of comput... more The so called "N-generation" or the "Digital natives" extensive use of computers and Internet resources have been widely discussed in research, but there are different opinions on how good their ge ...
ABSTRACT Digital games have been introduced as educational tools in upper secondary education (Wi... more ABSTRACT Digital games have been introduced as educational tools in upper secondary education (Wiklund and Ekenberg 2009) and studies show signs of improved language skills for students playing digital games (Mitchell and Savill-Smith 2004; Brandberg 2010), but there are few cases where digital games are used for physical education, or exergaming. To explore former secondary school students' attitudes towards the use of digital games in physical education, a study was conducted. Survey findings were complemented through interviews aligned to the survey questionnaire. Results show that 59% of the respondents were positive to the concept of using computer games to aid physical education, while 40% claimed that it would not affect their attitude towards physical activities. The remaining 1% stated that it would reduce their motivation for physical education classes if exergames were introduced. Results showed no clear connection between individual interests and attitude towards exergames, except for those with a high interest in gaming showing a more positive attitude in general. Some variations in the attitudes towards different game genres were shown with stationary exergames being the most popular.
Assessment of students in traditional higher education has always had mechanisms to prevent cheat... more Assessment of students in traditional higher education has always had mechanisms to prevent cheating and plagiarism, and the same need exists today for online assessment in virtual learning platfor ...
ABSTRACT The "N‐generation" or the "digital natives" have now... more ABSTRACT The "N‐generation" or the "digital natives" have now entered university programmes and their extensive use of computers and digital games is a fact (Spires, 2008). Digital games and gamification are also proliferating in private, professional as well as in educational domains (Reinhardt & Sykes, 2014). Phenomena as play, narration and gamification are classified as transmedial, i.e. they exist in digital as well as non‐digital contexts (Dymek, 2010), but there is no consensus on learning transfer from digital gaming to real world contexts. While some researchers claim a strong learning potential (Gee, 2003) (Reinhardt & Sykes, 2014), others have more sceptical standpoints (Hays, 2005) (Linderoth, 2012). Would the opinions on learning transfer be different if the question is asked to the digital natives themselves? The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss what students in the digital natives' generation might have learnt in gaming and if acquired skills and knowledge can be transferred to other contexts. A content analysis has been carried out on student essays submitted and discussed in a course on Games‐based learning. Students' experiences from gaming and learning transfer have also been discussed in course examination seminars. Findings show that the digital natives definitely have strong gaming habits, and a majority of the students perceived that they had learnt meaningful things from gaming. Regarding knowledge and skill transfer variations were noted among the various types of games. Furthermore, there are several examples from both educational games and commercial‐off‐ the‐shelf games where acquired skills and knowledge can be seen as transmedial and of use in non‐digital contexts.
Computer games can be designed as tools for school, but formal education can also be game-oriente... more Computer games can be designed as tools for school, but formal education can also be game-oriented based on dialogue enabling the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) entertainment games. The latter design was applied in two upper-secondary school trial educations, called the Digital Room. A problem is that teachers have to grade pupils based on assessment of the learning process through playing COTS games together with the pupils, while retaining compliance with the school regulations which can also change over time. The question is: what are the requirements for designing a system supporting teachers in bridging this gap? This paper describes and compares two trials of the Digital Room, enabling a long-term study between 2003-2013 with secondary school pupils and teachers. To answer the question in this paper, teachers from both trials were interviewed and situations were analysed based on a critical realist approach. Lack of time to manage and reflect on the documentation for assessment was a critical part of the results, and a teacher support system was explicitly asked for. Knowing what to document was crucial as games have many modes of expression, and understanding how to assess what has been documented was the hardest part. Conclusions are that a knowledge management system (KMS) could aid teachers in supporting each pupil to fulfil their goals and the requirements of the existing school system. Due to the expressed lack of time for management and assessment of documentation, the KMS should compile the data of each pupil’s actions in the game as basis for grading. Further, this KMS could be used for further learning by combining explicated knowledge from the socialisation process. Pupils could also add explicit information to the KMS about findings on the Internet and from oral dialogue with peers and teachers. Thus, the KMS must enable multimodal expressions to be as accessible as possible, including pupils with impairments. Information must be searchable and sortable which can be a challenge to achieve with other modes of expression than text. Further, the KMS design has to include both pupils and teachers in evaluations, and be easy to adapt when new regulations create new conditions. Future research includes implementing and evaluating the system in a similar game-oriented formal education context outside of traditional school.
Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education,... more Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education, but their use is not yet a widespread practice. Meta-research indicates that empirical evidence for ...
As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-li... more As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-line game worlds, their potential to fill different roles in society has grown. One aspect of this change is that various forms of computer mediated communication may become increasingly associated with games in various ways. Another issue is that of extensive exposure to computer games possibly leading to behavioural change through the mechanism of neuroplasticity, as argued by some researchers. Finally, since experiences from using game-like software designed explicitly for teaching purposes, edutainment, have been reported to be somewhat disappointing, the alternative to use unmodified straight-from-the-shelf computer games as learning environments in school is an interesting option. To investigate these issues a series of empirical studies were conducted, the first of which were dual interview studies with students of various ages in schools in two different regions, mapping their comm...
Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented ... more Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented formal education can constitute a foundation for further socialization of pupils excluded in school. However, digital illiteracy and traditional views among school staff forced a regression from the game-oriented formal trial education in this study back to the traditional education form. Research questions were as follows: How did the pupils act upon the consequences of the regression? How can these acts inform the design of education in digital culture? These questions were addressed using ethnography over 3 years. The pupils' acts differed depending on their socialization in school and in games. While the game-oriented formal education included all in the socialization process, the regression caused half of the pupils to drop out. The pupils' acts are discussed with a conceptual framework. Conclusions show the need for digital literacy and understanding pupils' perspective...
As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-li... more As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-line game worlds, their potential to fill different roles in society has grown. One aspect of this change is that various forms of computer mediated communication may become increasingly associated with games in various ways. Another issue is that of extensive exposure to computer games possibly leading to behavioural change through the mechanism of neuroplasticity, as argued by some researchers. Finally, since experiences from using game-like software designed explicitly for teaching purposes, edutainment, have been reported to be somewhat disappointing, the alternative to use unmodified straight-from-the-shelf computer games as learning environments in school is an interesting option. To investigate these issues a series of empirical studies were conducted, the first of which were dual interview studies with students of various ages in schools in two different regions, mapping their comm...
Digital Games Research Association Conference, May 31, 2005
As multiplayer games evolve in functionality and with respect to the number of participants, inga... more As multiplayer games evolve in functionality and with respect to the number of participants, ingame communication between players is increasing. As in-game communication increases, games may be considered the natural medium for computer based communication in general. Special issues may arise due to the real-time nature of many games, as intraplayer communication must not interfere with other parts of the gameplay. To obtain information on the extent to which computer based chat is spontaneously associated with multiplayer games, an empirical study was conducted. Children from age 10 to age 15 were interviewed about their computer based communications. To ensure unbiased results, game related issues were never brought up by the interviewer. Results show that multiplayer games were spontaneously pinpointed by 16.83% of the interview subjects being asked about their computer chat habits. Positive remarks dominated, but some negative aspects were also mentioned, such as difficulty chatting and playing simultaneously.
As peer-to-peer file sharing is a widespread and user friendly technique ideally suited to distri... more As peer-to-peer file sharing is a widespread and user friendly technique ideally suited to distribute illegally produced copies of computer games, the users attitudes towards acquiring games through this medium is of great interest. To obtain information on the extent to which peer-to-peer file sharing is associated with computer games distribution, and the nature of these associations, an empirical study was conducted. Children from age 10 to age 15 were interviewed about their computer based communication habits and attitudes. To ensure unbiased results, games and games related issues were never brought up by the interviewer. Results show that the distribution of computer games were spontaneously pinpointed by 15.58% of the interview subjects being asked about their peer-to-peer file sharing habits. Younger students showed a significantly more positive attitude towards this activity, while a majority of the older students pointed out negative aspects of acquiring computer games this way. Through the negative quotes given, the concept of empathy with game designers is identified as having potential as a possible counterfactor.
As the usage of computer games as teaching tools are being discussed and empirically studied, the... more As the usage of computer games as teaching tools are being discussed and empirically studied, the use of unmodified, commercial, off-the-shelf games is an interesting possibility. As this may have implications on the teachers role, possibly requiring it to be different from when using specially adapted game-like education software, the students attitudes towards the learning potential of computer games with and without accompanying teacher efforts are of great interest.
To effectively support digital game adoption in education, stakeholders need to understand teache... more To effectively support digital game adoption in education, stakeholders need to understand teachers’ current game-based teaching practices, challenges, and needs. This study investigates digital game use of teachers at compulsory and upper secondary school levels in Sweden. Data were collected from 181 respondents during spring 2019 through an online survey. Cluster analysis and descriptive statistics are used to establish the characteristics of game-using teachers and explore their teaching practices, challenges, and professional development needs. Based on their disposition, three subsets of game-using teachers are identified. Findings indicate that a more positive disposition is related to increased pedagogical integration, a greater variety of game use, higher and more varied educational outcomes, as well as interest in professional development. Perceptions of inhibiting factors of games-based teaching tend to shift with teachers’ level of game-based teaching competency. Results highlight teachers’ need for good quality games with curricular relevance as well as relevant professional development options. Moreover, the potential of games to facilitate a collaborative form of learning and skill development may not have been yet fully realized in Swedish schools. Future research should have a twofold focus; the development of adequate game resources that can support collaborative forms of learning and higher-level skills development, as well as competency development solutions for teachers relevant to their needs.
Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education,... more Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education, but their use is not yet a widespread practice. Meta-research indicates that empirical evidence for ...
No reproduction, copy or transmission may be made without written permission from the individual ... more No reproduction, copy or transmission may be made without written permission from the individual authors. Review Process Papers submitted to this conference have been double-blind peer reviewed before final acceptance to the conference. Initially, abstracts were reviewed for relevance and accessibility and successful authors were invited to submit full papers. Many thanks to the reviewers who helped ensure the quality of all the submissions. Ethics and Publication Malpractice Policy ACPIL adheres to a strict ethics and publication malpractice policy for all publicationsdetails of which can be found here: http://www.academic-conferences.org/policies/ethics-policy-for-publishing-in-theconference-proceedings-of-academic-conferences-and-publishing-international-limited/ Conference Proceedings The Conference Proceedings is a book published with an ISBN and ISSN. The proceedings have been submitted to a number of accreditation, citation and indexing bodies including Thomson ISI Web of Science and Elsevier Scopus. Author affiliation details in these proceedings have been reproduced as supplied by the authors themselves.
International Journal of Digital Information and Wireless Communications, 2013
Playing games to support learning is a classic concept that is seeing a revival today in the wide... more Playing games to support learning is a classic concept that is seeing a revival today in the widespread use of computer games. Inserting educational content into various types of computer games is a strong trend that some researchers have described as a mad rush. The aim of this article is to discuss possible learning stimulating effects of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games in a long-term perspective. We argue that COTS game players’ attitudes towards learning may change in a positive direction even in cases where direct learning outcomes are not aimed for. This may be the case when in-game skills are described in terms of real life skills commonly associated with higher education. When a high enough skill level is achieved, then and only then is the player rewarded with pleasant in-game experiences. The causality of the perceived experience is ideally that with high enough skills, positive stimulation follows. The contribution of the gaming lies not in the short-term learning outcome, but rather in the long-term effects it may have on future educational choices. Even if such a game do not fulfil the criteria for learning games it may still be seen as a learning stimulating game.
ABSTRACT Well-designed games can support intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation, but to what d... more ABSTRACT Well-designed games can support intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation, but to what degree the use of computer games stimulates learning has been widely discussed during the last decade. Some researchers claim that it is the underlying architecture in digital games that provides the learning potential. The use of computer games as a tool for social inclusion in remedial education has also been investigated and presented as a promising idea. Less has been written on how groups should be formed to support school drop-outs and scaffold their inclusion and create a way towards a second chance to education for disaffected youth. The aim of this study is to describe and discuss how game based learning might facilitate the integration of disaffected youth through the avoidance of stigmatising remedial education groups. Empirical data has been collected from a secondary education initiative called The Digital Room. This was a project where all participants had a strong interest in computer games but different educational background. The two main groups can briefly be described as students with grades in core subjects in a traditional secondary school curriculum, and school drop-outs without a complete set of core subject grades. Interviews were conducted with participants from both groups in a longitudinal study between 2005 and 2010, including a retrospective follow-up. Findings show that the initial group division that still was present after two years of the project later had dissolved when new interviews were carried out towards the end of the project. From a teacher's perspective this game-based setup facilitated individual student support in a heterogeneous group with large variations in study techniques and learning tempo.
Journal of Educational Technology Systems, Jun 1, 2015
Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented ... more Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented formal education can constitute a foundation for further socialization of pupils excluded in school. However, digital illiteracy and traditional views among school staff forced a regression from the game-oriented formal trial education in this study back to the traditional education form. Research questions were as follows: How did the pupils act upon the consequences of the regression? How can these acts inform the design of education in digital culture? These questions were addressed using ethnography over 3 years. The pupils' acts differed depending on their socialization in school and in games. While the game-oriented formal education included all in the socialization process, the regression caused half of the pupils to drop out. The pupils' acts are discussed with a conceptual framework. Conclusions show the need for digital literacy and understanding pupils' perspectives on education among school staff.
Preventing cheating in online as well as more traditional examination is important, but achieving... more Preventing cheating in online as well as more traditional examination is important, but achieving zero cheating is hard or impossible without repelling not only cheaters but also those who would not cheat. A zero-tolerance emphasis on cheating shifts the focus from what is being learned to test scores, destroying the intrinsic motivation of learning. Test scores are only meaningful within the education, while the actual learning is what creates meaning outside of the education. What forms of cheat prevention in online examinations are reasonable in relation to traditional examination, without ruining the students' intrinsic motivation? A literature study was conducted. From the discussion of previous research it can be concluded that zero tolerance of cheating in online examination is unrealistic, unnecessary and not required compared to traditional examination. Further, zero tolerance could also ruin the intrinsic motivation of learning. This enables forms of examination such as web camera observation but also dialogue based interaction for examination.
ABSTRACT Providing information using a modality that is both non-visual and non-auditory such as ... more ABSTRACT Providing information using a modality that is both non-visual and non-auditory such as haptic feedback, may be a viable approach regarding web accessibility for deaf-blind. Haptic navigation systems have been shown to be easy to learn (Venesvirta 2008), and modulating navigation related information as patterns of vibrations has been shown to be perceived as natural and non-intrusive (Szymzcak, Magnusson and Rassmus-Gröhn 2012). To minimise the bandwidth needed, a varying length encoding scheme such as Morse code may be considered. A prototype Morse code vibration modulated system for web page navigation was developed, using a standard game controller as a means of output. Results show that simulated deaf-blind test subjects using the system were able to navigate a web site successfully in three cases out of four, and that in some situations a version of the system with a higher degree of manual interaction performed better.
The so called "N-generation" or the "Digital natives" extensive use of comput... more The so called "N-generation" or the "Digital natives" extensive use of computers and Internet resources have been widely discussed in research, but there are different opinions on how good their ge ...
ABSTRACT Digital games have been introduced as educational tools in upper secondary education (Wi... more ABSTRACT Digital games have been introduced as educational tools in upper secondary education (Wiklund and Ekenberg 2009) and studies show signs of improved language skills for students playing digital games (Mitchell and Savill-Smith 2004; Brandberg 2010), but there are few cases where digital games are used for physical education, or exergaming. To explore former secondary school students' attitudes towards the use of digital games in physical education, a study was conducted. Survey findings were complemented through interviews aligned to the survey questionnaire. Results show that 59% of the respondents were positive to the concept of using computer games to aid physical education, while 40% claimed that it would not affect their attitude towards physical activities. The remaining 1% stated that it would reduce their motivation for physical education classes if exergames were introduced. Results showed no clear connection between individual interests and attitude towards exergames, except for those with a high interest in gaming showing a more positive attitude in general. Some variations in the attitudes towards different game genres were shown with stationary exergames being the most popular.
Assessment of students in traditional higher education has always had mechanisms to prevent cheat... more Assessment of students in traditional higher education has always had mechanisms to prevent cheating and plagiarism, and the same need exists today for online assessment in virtual learning platfor ...
ABSTRACT The "N‐generation" or the "digital natives" have now... more ABSTRACT The "N‐generation" or the "digital natives" have now entered university programmes and their extensive use of computers and digital games is a fact (Spires, 2008). Digital games and gamification are also proliferating in private, professional as well as in educational domains (Reinhardt & Sykes, 2014). Phenomena as play, narration and gamification are classified as transmedial, i.e. they exist in digital as well as non‐digital contexts (Dymek, 2010), but there is no consensus on learning transfer from digital gaming to real world contexts. While some researchers claim a strong learning potential (Gee, 2003) (Reinhardt & Sykes, 2014), others have more sceptical standpoints (Hays, 2005) (Linderoth, 2012). Would the opinions on learning transfer be different if the question is asked to the digital natives themselves? The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss what students in the digital natives' generation might have learnt in gaming and if acquired skills and knowledge can be transferred to other contexts. A content analysis has been carried out on student essays submitted and discussed in a course on Games‐based learning. Students' experiences from gaming and learning transfer have also been discussed in course examination seminars. Findings show that the digital natives definitely have strong gaming habits, and a majority of the students perceived that they had learnt meaningful things from gaming. Regarding knowledge and skill transfer variations were noted among the various types of games. Furthermore, there are several examples from both educational games and commercial‐off‐ the‐shelf games where acquired skills and knowledge can be seen as transmedial and of use in non‐digital contexts.
Computer games can be designed as tools for school, but formal education can also be game-oriente... more Computer games can be designed as tools for school, but formal education can also be game-oriented based on dialogue enabling the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) entertainment games. The latter design was applied in two upper-secondary school trial educations, called the Digital Room. A problem is that teachers have to grade pupils based on assessment of the learning process through playing COTS games together with the pupils, while retaining compliance with the school regulations which can also change over time. The question is: what are the requirements for designing a system supporting teachers in bridging this gap? This paper describes and compares two trials of the Digital Room, enabling a long-term study between 2003-2013 with secondary school pupils and teachers. To answer the question in this paper, teachers from both trials were interviewed and situations were analysed based on a critical realist approach. Lack of time to manage and reflect on the documentation for assessment was a critical part of the results, and a teacher support system was explicitly asked for. Knowing what to document was crucial as games have many modes of expression, and understanding how to assess what has been documented was the hardest part. Conclusions are that a knowledge management system (KMS) could aid teachers in supporting each pupil to fulfil their goals and the requirements of the existing school system. Due to the expressed lack of time for management and assessment of documentation, the KMS should compile the data of each pupil’s actions in the game as basis for grading. Further, this KMS could be used for further learning by combining explicated knowledge from the socialisation process. Pupils could also add explicit information to the KMS about findings on the Internet and from oral dialogue with peers and teachers. Thus, the KMS must enable multimodal expressions to be as accessible as possible, including pupils with impairments. Information must be searchable and sortable which can be a challenge to achieve with other modes of expression than text. Further, the KMS design has to include both pupils and teachers in evaluations, and be easy to adapt when new regulations create new conditions. Future research includes implementing and evaluating the system in a similar game-oriented formal education context outside of traditional school.
Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education,... more Digital games have potential to support increased student motivation and engagement in education, but their use is not yet a widespread practice. Meta-research indicates that empirical evidence for ...
As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-li... more As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-line game worlds, their potential to fill different roles in society has grown. One aspect of this change is that various forms of computer mediated communication may become increasingly associated with games in various ways. Another issue is that of extensive exposure to computer games possibly leading to behavioural change through the mechanism of neuroplasticity, as argued by some researchers. Finally, since experiences from using game-like software designed explicitly for teaching purposes, edutainment, have been reported to be somewhat disappointing, the alternative to use unmodified straight-from-the-shelf computer games as learning environments in school is an interesting option. To investigate these issues a series of empirical studies were conducted, the first of which were dual interview studies with students of various ages in schools in two different regions, mapping their comm...
Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented ... more Pupils in Sweden are socialized in commercial off-the-shelf games, and, therefore, game-oriented formal education can constitute a foundation for further socialization of pupils excluded in school. However, digital illiteracy and traditional views among school staff forced a regression from the game-oriented formal trial education in this study back to the traditional education form. Research questions were as follows: How did the pupils act upon the consequences of the regression? How can these acts inform the design of education in digital culture? These questions were addressed using ethnography over 3 years. The pupils' acts differed depending on their socialization in school and in games. While the game-oriented formal education included all in the socialization process, the regression caused half of the pupils to drop out. The pupils' acts are discussed with a conceptual framework. Conclusions show the need for digital literacy and understanding pupils' perspective...
As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-li... more As computer games have evolved from single-player entities to complex, highly communicative on-line game worlds, their potential to fill different roles in society has grown. One aspect of this change is that various forms of computer mediated communication may become increasingly associated with games in various ways. Another issue is that of extensive exposure to computer games possibly leading to behavioural change through the mechanism of neuroplasticity, as argued by some researchers. Finally, since experiences from using game-like software designed explicitly for teaching purposes, edutainment, have been reported to be somewhat disappointing, the alternative to use unmodified straight-from-the-shelf computer games as learning environments in school is an interesting option. To investigate these issues a series of empirical studies were conducted, the first of which were dual interview studies with students of various ages in schools in two different regions, mapping their comm...
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