Abstract :"Immigrants
entering the European Community face a range of
challenges in adapting to and understanding the culture of their
host nation. Failure to address these challenges can lead to
isolation and difficulties integrating into the society
of the host
country,
leading to
fragmented communities and
a range of
social
issues
.
As part of a comprehensive suit
e of services for
immigrants
, the European
-
funded M
obile Assistance for Social
Inclusion and Empowerment of Immigrants with Persuasive
Learning Technologies and Social Network Services
(MASELTOV)
project seeks to provide both practical tools and
le
arning services via mobile devices, providing a readily usable
resource for
immigrants
.
In this workshop paper, the
game
-
based
learning
aspect of the MASELTOV project is introduced, with the
rationale behind its design presented. In doing so, the b
enefits and
implications of mobile platforms and emergent dat
a capture
techniques for game
-
based learning
are discussed, as are methods
for putting engaging gameplay at the forefront of the experience
whilst relying on rich data capture and analysis to pro
vide an
effective learning solution.
Through comparison to several other
projects, a number of recommendations are put forward for games
deployed in contexts similar to that of MASELTOV: a focus on
establishing a significant audience with which to conduct
ethical
research into efficacy, the need for robust pedagogical frameworks
suited to the learning context,
and the evolution of methods for
data capture and analysis of player activity."
"Game design and development programs often include a final project or capstone course
as a means of assessing the cumulative theory, processes and techniques learned by
students through the program or department's curriculum. While these courses are
prevalent in programs around the world, there has yet to be a study of how, why, and to
what end these courses are designed and run. We review the literature on capstone
courses, discuss the findings of a long-form survey administered in early 2011, and
propose a set of framing questions for the design and implementation of capstone
courses. Survey findings include common goals of capstone courses, make-up of faculty
teaching these courses, the support obtained and desired for the courses, the technologies
used to create capstone projects, the methods of project management used in the courses
and the expectations of faculty teaching the courses. These results can serve as a baseline
for faculty and administrators looking to develop or improve their game design and
development curricula."