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Guidelines for the development of educational games to motivate the learning of theoretical concepts in Engineering and Computing courses
Author(s) -
Yuxuan Chen,
Souza Rogéria C. G.,
Contessoto Allan G.,
Amorim Anderson R.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
computer applications in engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.478
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1099-0542
pISSN - 1061-3773
DOI - 10.1002/cae.22387
Subject(s) - computer science , quality (philosophy) , autonomy , context (archaeology) , attendance , process (computing) , engineering education , feeling , educational software , mathematics education , software , engineering management , psychology , engineering , paleontology , social psychology , philosophy , epistemology , political science , law , economics , biology , programming language , economic growth , operating system
Educational software, especially gaming, have been the target of research in different areas due to their potential benefits in promoting more dynamic, interactive, and motivating learning. The use of educational games for teaching in Engineering and Computing courses, such as Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, given the familiarity of these students with computers, can promote greater engagement in the study of theoretical concepts. However, existing educational games still lack the good motivational quality considered essential to ensure real learning. In this context, this paper defines guidelines that address the development of educational games focusing on motivational quality. To support the definition of these guidelines, different motivational methods, together with the attributes that can be improved in a student such as autonomy, effort, and overcoming, were analyzed. These guidelines were applied in the development of an educational game prototype as proof of concept to confirm its effective applicability and its contributions to motivate students. The prototype was assessed by 118 students of the higher education in Computing for 15 days. The majority of participants in the assessment process attested that the prototype meets the motivational quality subcriteria, promoting fun (55%), challenge (68%), social interaction (59%), and feeling of satisfaction (74%). It was then possible to verify its attendance to the desired motivational quality and attest to the potential of the established guidelines.