Gaming/Virtual Environments

Situated Assessments Using Virtual Environments : The SAVE Science Project

Author/Presenter

Uma Natarajan

Diane Jass Ketelhut

Catherine Schifter

Brian Nelson

Angela Shelton

Year
2010
Short Description

This is the final poster that was presented at the PI conference in Washington, DC. it was part of the DRK 12 Sims & Games session proposal of 12 posters.

Research on Student Understanding of Data Organization

Author/Presenter

Cliff Konold

Vishakha Parvate

William Finzer

Year
2010
Short Description

As part of the Data Games project, we are researching how students record and organize multivariate data. This research is informing the design of new software interfaces for Fathom and TinkerPlots that will allow students to explore and understand data that live in other than "flat" data structures — the structures that most software tools currently limit themselves to.
We have designed the Traffic Problem to explore the following questions:
1. What methods do novices and experts use to sytematically record data with multiple attributes?
2. In recording data, do students employ a recognizable notion of “case?"

Educational Game Design Model

Author/Presenter

Chamberlin, Barbara

Short Description

Barbara Chamberlin, with the NMSU Learning Games Lab, shares the Educational Game Design model developed at NMSU. The educational development studio involves content experts and game developers in their game design process, also employing a rigorous user testing process throughout development. In this presentation, she explains the pre-development work they do in working from broad educational objectives, forming team, immersing team members in both the content and game design, and guiding questions for refining educational objectives and driving game development.

Simulations, Games, and Digital Tools for Science and Math Learning: The Diversity of Research Questions and Methodological Approaches

Day
Fri

This interactive poster session brings together 11 projects using digital computer technologies (games, simulations, tools) to discuss current research questions, corresponding methodologies, and next steps. 

Date/Time
-
Session Type
Structured Poster Session

This interactive poster session brings together 11 projects using a range of digital computer technologies to improve science and math learning, including simulations, games, and other cyberlearning tools and environments. In addition to increasing communication and collaboration among these researchers, a key goal of this session is to discuss the diversity of research questions that each project (and the community as a whole) is engaged in, the research methodologies used, and the coupling between the research questions and the selected methodologies.

Data Games: Can Data Modeling Improve Strategies and Mathematical Understanding?

Day
Thu

Presenters seek feedback on activities, now in field test, in which students build mathematical and statistical models to improve their game-playing strategies. Bring a laptop.

Date/Time
-
Session Type
Product Feedback Session

Participants are invited to play online games embedded in a data-analysis environment, analyzing their game data to improve their strategy. The structure follows an abbreviated version of classroom activities that presenters are now field testing. Product release is scheduled to begin in fall 2012. (Participants should bring a laptop computer that can connect with conference wifi.) With each game-based activity, subsequent discussion focuses on different issues about which presenters would like feedback.

The Teacher's Role in Game- & Simulation-based Learning

Day
Thu

A 2011-12 CADRE Fellows presentation

The panel presentation addresses the role of the teacher in online, game- and simulation-based learning. 

Date/Time
-
Session Type
Working Group

This panel presentation showcases various NSF DR K–12 projects (Data Games, Evidence Game, MathSnacks, PhET, and TESLA) and the role of the classroom teacher in these project-related online, game-, and simulation-based learning environments. The session presenters highlight the envisioned role teachers play when implementing each game or simulation project. Presenters also discuss how the vision of the teacher’s role has evolved during the life of some of the projects.