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The Efficacy of Simulated Project Environments in Improving Student Outcomes on Multi-Disciplinary Project Assignments Martin Lynagh, Lecturer, Division of Arts and Games, Abertay University Email: m.lynagh@abertay.ac.uk Overview
Research Questions
Methodology (cont.)
Academic and game designer This figure illustrates the basic Ian Bogost’s concept of gameloop envisaged: Procedural Rhetoric holds that rule-based interactions, whether these take the form of applied or commercial games, can be used to effectively persuade, and educate (Bogost, 2010). My research attempts to harness The application of this approach this property of interactive in formal educational settings media through the design, implementation, and testing of can be traced at least as far a serious game which back as the architectural encapsulates the experience of ‘competizione’ of 16th Century colleagues from faculty and Italy, which were the result of industry practitioners. architects’ efforts to The two main questions it professionalise their practice endeavours to answer are: (Knoll, 1997). This is echoed in - What is the efficacy of a Game our own attempts as educators Production RPG in improving to professionalise game project outcomes and development in the modern day student’s attainment? (Harvey and Shepherd, 2017; - How does this efficacy very Weststar, 2015). The efficacy of the game will be between implementation Methodology evaluated by comparing the There are two problems styles? Specifically, how does performance of student teams inherent in this approach, as Literature Review: survey the efficacy of moreAsocial participating in our Professional implemented currently in Higher ofstyles, the literature dealing associated withwith the Projects module selected to play Education: use, designRPGs, and assessment tabletop differ from of the game at the start of term serious games in education. 1.Planning for and performing stand alone digital products? against that of a control group. Survey: Module staff at well on such projects requires Both groups performance will be Abertay, game industry clients a degree of tacit knowledge analysed using both who have worked with student that is often assumed in a quantitative and qualitative teams on our third-year professional environment. This methods as part of a convergent professional project module type of knowledge is accrued parallel mixed methods design (DES310) and students them over time based on (Cresswell, 2014). This process selves will be interviewed to will consist of interviews, experience resulting from realReferences discover the themes and issues surveys, and comparisons world pressures that are hard which most commonly affect Bogost, I. (2010) Persuasive games: The against predicted grades. to simulate in this format. expressive power of videogames. Mit Press. student project outcomes. The Cresswell, J. (2014) Research design. Sage 2.The short timescales that results will be subject to publications Thousand Oaks. student projects are qualitative analysis and the Harvey, A. and Shepherd, T. (2017) 'When passion isn’t enough: gender, affect and necessarily constrained to do resulting list of issues will be fed credibility in digital games design', not provide an adequate into the design of the game International Journal of Cultural Studies, simulation of professional itself. 20(5), pp. 492-508. Knoll, M. (1997) 'The project method: Its Implementation: The game practice. In industry projects vocational education origin and will initially be implemented as often take years to deliver international development', JITE - Journal of Industrial Teacher Education. a TTRPG (Tabletop Role Playing rather than a single fifteenWeststar, J. (2015) 'Understanding video Game) with digital elements. week academic term. game developers as an occupational This will involve creation of an community', Information, communication & To help find solutionsAbertay to these University is an operating name of the University of Abertay Dundee, a charity registered in Scotland, No:18(10), SC016040. society, pp. 1238-1252. analogue game board with two issues I am investigating Much of our teaching in SDI is centred on a project-based pedagogy where students’ performance is assessed on the work they produce as part of a multidisciplinary project team tasked with producing a piece of interactive media.