Lab Usage Issues

It is really the end of the semester.
Both the Final Year Project (FYP) students and non-FYP students are working on their assignments and coursework in the only Animation Lab in UPSI. Thus conflict occurs.

How to avoid clashing the usage?

FYP students could use at night, while non-FYP students use during day time?

Also, to optimize the capacity of each and every computer in the lab, we could limit the software installed and also limit the Internet usage. Assign students to take care of the cleanliness of the lab.

Intended journey in GBL

My dream is to establish a game-based learning university. The university will allow anybody to study via games. This would require the re-definition of the term “university”, in which its new characteristics are:

•          A playground-like venue of learning for everybody;
•          A place to learn universal knowledge and skills in any subject matters (sounds like open learning now);
•          A place that offers ubiquitous learning, when learning can be accessed through various devices, anywhere and any time (like Internet now).

I want to establish a new education system and structure that is accredited and trusted by authority and the public. I have a PhD in Education and experience of designing games, courses and academic programmes. I realized I need a lot of resources to realize this dream. My idea would take around 15 years to become mature. My obstacles are:

1. I need a team of researchers and academics to support this idea
2. I need high quality learning contents in the form of games. 
3. I need an augmented reality system for education.

My goals will be met by 2020 (goal 1), 2025 (goal 2) and 2023 (goal 3). When all my goals are met, I will make people enjoy learning through game playing. 

How to choose games for GBL?

I knew a lot of teachers and lecturers have the interests to use games in teaching and learning activities. However, most of them do not have the capability to design and develop games for GBL practice. So choosing suitable off-the-shelf games seems like the only option to them. Hence the challenge: how to choose a suitable game for his or her GBL practice?

I knew there are quite a number of guidelines available to them. But before I direct them to the guidelines, herewith my suggestion:

Rule 1: Choose a FUN to play game

The game you choose MUST be fun to play. And the best way to know whether a game is fun to play or not is to ASK your students, since they are the people who will eventually be expected to engage with the game you choose. If you don't have direct access to the students (e.g. you are meeting or teaching them for the first time), you should PLAY the game yourself to determine whether the game is fun to play or not. If you think you don't have time or don't feel like playing the game, then perhaps you are not ready to practice GBL. I have seen so-called educational researchers whom refused to play games ("Nah, games are for kids" "I am a researcher, not a game player!") but dared to condemn the effectiveness of using games in educational contexts by showing results of complicated statistical analysis. Such people are doing more harm than good to the GBL and should be banned from GBL-related conferences. The fact was: the researcher just did not bother to identify a FUN to play game. 

The issue is what is a fun game? I recommend you to read Koster's (2005) A Theory of Fun for Game Design. Meanwhile, Nicole Lazarro proposed 4 keys 2 fun, which divides fun into four types: hard fun, easy fun, serious fun and people fun. You can determine what kind of fun you can gain from playing a game--as long as there is one fun factor, you may choose the game for GBL.

Figure 1: Nicole Lazarro's 4 keys 2 fun

Rule 2: Choose a game that you can easily align three key components of learning outcome. 

To make GBL practice successful, you need to align three components of intended learning outcomes to three core elements of the chosen game. 

A learning outcome should consist of: 

1. A verb that can reveal the intended, observable behaviours of the learners, i.e. when the learner performs the behaviour defined by the verb, you knew he or she has attained the learning outcome. 

2. Conditions of learning outcome attainment, i.e. specific conditions or requirements learners need to fulfill to claim that they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

3. Degree of learning outcome attainment, i.e. specific degree, probably in measurable sense like numbers, figures, etc, that demonstrate to what extent the learning outcome was achieved. 

The chosen game should consist of the following three core elements: 

1. Game goal and / or objectives for players to pursue in the game world. The goal would be aligned to the verb that can reveal the intended, observable behaviours of the players when attaining the intended learning outcome. 

2. Game rules that all players must follow. The rules would be aligned to the conditions of learning outcome attainment. 

3. Game feedback, both immediate (e.g. instruction, warning, etc) and collective (e.g. debrief shown after game over). The feedback would be aligned to the degree of learning outcome attainment, in which learners / players would know to what extent they have achieved in the pursue of game goal. 

Rule 3: Choose a game that shares similar theme or field of learning content. 

Frankly speaking, if you have identified a game that fulfills the Rule 1 and Rule 2, you should grab it and start to do your lesson plan for GBL practice. It is rare to find a game that actually meet Rule 1, 2 and 3. Normally you have to either design and develop it all by yourself or appoint designers and developers to do it for you.

However, in case you have to luxury to get a game that shares similar theme or field of learning content, use it now! 

How to design games for education? Step 1: Problem identification

Today, my student asked how to design a courseware for learning integer at Form 1. To me courseware is a form of games for education. So I share my answer to her here: "You should begin with problem identification, by answering the following questions:

1. Why do students need to use your courseware (read as game here) to learn Integer? 
2. What are the intended learning outcomes under this topic?
3. Who will use this courseware (students or teacher)?
4. When and where will they use the courseware (in classroom or at home)?
5. How teachers normally teach integer in the classroom?
6. How would teachers teach if they choose to use courseware?
7. How do you want the users (teachers and learners) to feel when using the courseware?
8. What are the learning contents and design materials you need to deliver the contents and the feeling they expected?

I adviced her to work with an actual Math school teacher, or at least a trainee teacher. Let's wait and see what are her answers...

Two types of multimedia elements in GBL

I had a chat over FB with a student under my supervision this morning:

She asked me, "Dr, the format and multimedia element mean the storyboard content??"

Herewith my answer:

There are two types of multimedia elements: learning content that should be provided by subject matter expert, in which you need to work with a Math expert, or at least of BEd Maths student; and design elements which are text, audio, video, animation and still graphics that you need to DESIGN for you to author (means deliver the learning content for effective and efficient learning).

The storyboard is a series of visual documents you create to demonstrate how you have designed (using multimedia elements to deliver learning content) the course ware. 

Having answered her question, I think she did not memorize what she was taught in the class. Or, worse, she forgot what she had memorized for exam right after the exam. I think for mastery of knowledge and skills, we should memorize enough basic concepts in our field of study, to the extent that we can construct our own definitions if not revising existing definitions of key concepts. When we realise we can actually define concepts in our field of expertise, we are becoming a Master in the field.

How to be a top scientist in games related R&D?

I received a forwarded letter from Top Research Scientist Malaysia. The letter invites scientists in Malaysia to register themselves in a database for search by relevant agencies or bodies. Herewith the criteria of selection which I taken from TRSM website. Now I start to think how games related scientists can become top scientists:

Section A - Knowledge Generation

1. Leadership in research
   1. Total number of research projects as Principal Investigator (PI)
      • International
      • National
   2. Cumulative value of grants received as PI (RM)
      • International
      • National

Section B - Knowledge Dissemination

1. Publications
   1. Publications in indexed journals/ books/ chapter in  books/ monographs/ articles in professional or scientific magazines as corresponding author
2. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
   1. International
   • Patent granted
   • Patent pending
   2. National
   • Patent granted
   • Patent pending
   3. Industrial design/ Copyright/ Trademark
3. Scientific Presentations
   1. International
   • Keynote speaker
   • Plenary speaker
   2. National
   • Keynote speaker
   • Plenary speaker
   3. Number of appearances as invited Guest speaker/ Panelist in mass media in the area of expertise
4. Human Resource Development
   1. Graduated PhD students supervised (for IHLs staff only main supervision will be considered)
   2. Graduated Master students supervised (for IHLs only main supervision will be considered)
   3. Graduated Research Trainees/ Research Officers supervised

Section C - Impact of Research Outputs

1. Cumulative citations received and Hirsch-index in either Thomson Reuters WOS or Scopus database.
2. Commercialisation attained
   1. Technologies commercialised with sales and/or royalties
   2. Spin-off/ joint venture companies resulting from commercialisation of IPR
   3. Cumulative gross sales  and/or royalties from commercialisation of R&D products (RM)
3. Academic Awards from Government, Professional and Learned Bodies
   1. International
   2. National
4. Recognition, Professional Leadership (Including Appointments to a Chair, Visiting Professorship, Editors of Books/ Journals/ Citation-Indexed Conference Proceedings/ Technical Guidelines)
   1. Number of recognitions and membership in international bodies or professional associations
   2. Number of recognitions and membership in national bodies or professional associations
5. Lead Consultant in Projects with Monetary Rewards
   1. Number of consultancy projects
   • International
   • National
   2. Cumulative value of consultancy projects (RM)
6. Impact of Research Towards  Wealth Creation and Societal Well-being (highlight the significance of the contribution)

The Vision of Game-based University

I have a vision. The vision indicates that in 17 years from now, the nature and characteristics of universities would evolve to become game-based learning entities. There would be a need to redefine the concept of “university”, in order to reflect its roles and responsibilities to human society.

In 2050, university would become a place to learn universal knowledge and skills in any subject matters. Its backbone has been set up—the Internet. The issue with the status quo of Internet now is that there is an absence of content evaluation, at least to most of the contents posted online. Self-regulation is not sufficient because those who practice it might not have the authority and / or capability in determining the level of reliability or trustworthiness of the contents.  To establish such capability would take time, effort and financial resources, but I believe this is achievable in 17 years. Once this is done, the issue would become a non-issue. I began 

University should be a place of learning for everybody, or in extreme scenario, for certain animals. My mother has never studied in school in her life, but she is an intelligent woman who knows a lot about Malaysian Chinese children’s learning—better than me who has a PhD in education; and she is very skillful in handling household matters—better than my wife who is a medical doctor. To me, she deserves at least a diploma in household management, but there is no way the current formal educational system in Malaysia could accept her for an academic course or programme. However, with the advancement of Web 2.0 technology and game-based learning technology, my mother could learn a lot through internet and games. Talking about games, I still remember that when my sister and I bought our first game console using our angpow in 1990, the Famicom, my mother played along with us and always beat us in certain games like Tetris, Snooker etc. Today, after my sister bought her a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, she continues to beat me in mobile games like Candy Crush Saga. Indeed, I am proud of her in-game achievement. In the case of animals, I have been viewing YouTube videos featuring how animals "play" games on iPhone, iPad, etc.

YouTube video: Reptile Playing Ant Crusher

YouTube video: Cat's painting on iPad

I remember reading a science fiction, titled Ready Player One by Ernest Cline last year when I stayed in San Francisco. The fictional world depicted in the book highlights that the Internet and gaming culture have evolved into a creation known as OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation), a massively multiplayer online simulation game. Whoever has access to the OASIS can receive free education, discarding the barriers of social and economical background.

To preview how a primitive version of OASIS as of now, I am taking courses offered by Open Learning. The first course that I take is Gamification, conducted by Dr. Tom Benjamin from University of NSW. Why not you all have a try yourself too?