Presentation for the VII International Seminar of the UOC UNESCO Chair in e-Learning: Mobile Technologies for Learning & Development. The project mobile Game Based Learning (mGBL) is coordinated by evolaris next level GmbH and: has been implemented from October 2005 until December 2008, has been conducted by 30 researchers from 11 project partners from 5 European countries (Great Britain, Italy, Croatia, Austria and Slovenia), used nearly 600 person-moths resources with a budget of 2.5 Mio EUR, was supported by the EU under the FP6 IST. The overall goal of the project was to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of learning in the target group of young people (aged 16 – 24) through the development of innovative learning models based on mobile games. The biggest challenge in this project was to communicate content from different fields in a motivational, inclusive and emotional way. As the most personal and emotional communication channel the mobile phone was used to establish the link between learners and teachers. The specific aim of the project was to design, develop and pilot a prototype game platform that might be used to efficiently develop games for m-learning. The basic idea is to use the mobile phone to implement games bridging the real and virtual world. These games are firstly intended to directly support learning via opportunities to develop knowledge and cognitive skills in an exciting and inspiring – and hence in a highly emotional – way, and secondly to indirectly motivate users to refer to other media (e.g. “classic” libraries, scripts, etc.) for learning purposes.

1. Thomas Putz, October 2010 THE PROJECT “MOBILE GAME BASED LEARNING” UNESCO Chair in e-Learning VII International Seminar: Mobile Technologies for Learning and Development OCTOBER 6-7, 2010 BARCELONA

3. The mGBL platform

6. evolaris works in a dense network of leading business- and research-partners on the basis of sustainable cooperation contracts.

7. 25 employees in Graz and ViennaVision We develop applications and associated business models to attract new as well as existing customers of enterprises, to win them over for own products and services, to tie them closer to the enterprise and to offer comprehensive after-sales support. We use the mobile phone as an innovative touch point – also in combination with web and classical media – on the basis of a profound understanding of requirements of various target groups and based on current scientific results.

9. involved 30+ researchers

10. from 11 project partners

11. in 5 European countries (Great Britain, Italy, Croatia, Austria and Slovenia)

12. used nearly 600 person-moths resources

13. with a budget of 2.5 Mio EUR

14. was supported by the EU under the FP6 IST.The Project mobile Game-Based Learning

16. develop innovative learning models based on mobile serious games

17. develop a classification system with learning goals, content and target groups

18. use the mobile phone to establish the link between learners and teachers

19. implement games bridging the real and virtual worlds

20. design, develop and pilot a prototype game platform

21. design, develop and pilot different prototype multimedia learning gamesThe Aims

23. software tool for supporting the selection of mLearning games

25. The platform

26. The platform

27. The platform

31. Do: use tried and trusted pedagogy – social-constructivist - usercentric

32. Don’t: port P.C. style games to mobile

33. Don’t: focus on learning content

34. Do: use generic processes

35. Do: focus on lifelong learning

36. Do: make it funKey recommendations for mGBL developers

38. Create GAMES first and foremost - learning content mapped to game style, embedded naturally in the game.

39. Modular game design; customisable games - tools for users.

40. Attention to speed, level of difficulty, timing and feedback.

41. Variety in game context & complexity - novelty, surprise, humour.

42. Keep user costs down - limited use of graphics to accommodate different learning styles - restricted use of sound files.

43. Cater for learner diversity with a ‘package’ of different Game Models.Key mGBL game design decisions

46. mobile Game Based Learning Supported Mobile Devices (1)

47. mobile Game Based Learning Supported Mobile Devices (2)

51. mobile Game Based Learning Game 1: “Fastest first!” Quiz component

52. mobile Game Based Learning Game 1: “Fastest first!” Quiz component

54. Decision-making opportunities are sequenced as follows:

55. Prioritise 1 of 4 critical cases – then deal with your prioritised case: select 1 of 2 treatments.

57. mobile Game Based Learning Game 1: The Crisis! Question sequence

59. mobile Game Based Learning Game 2: “MOGABAL” 1 Avatar highlighted on Board version of the game. 2 % of resources available to player ‘Pippo’ (human player, i.e. not the computer). 3 Avatar highlighted on Adventure version of the game. 1 2 3

60. mobile Game Based Learning Game 2: “MOGABAL” 1 Player score in relation to set of 4 ‘characteristics’. 2 Feedback on simple Quiz event. 3 Feedback on Adventure game event. 1 2 3

61. mobile Game Based Learning Game 2: “MOGABAL”

63. Quiz: a text and one or more options to choose from

64. Decision Tree: similar to Quiz, however various choices have no immediate reward but link to a subsequent event (which can be any event type). This allows construction of complex simulations of chains of choices or decisions

65. Conditional decision tree: similar to Decision Tree, but some of the possible choices are available and visible to the player only under particular conditions

66. Simple: text message that can be used as a ‘leaf’ of a decision tree or as a simple random event

67. Multimedia: opens a multimedia resource then links to a subsequent event. Can be used to enhance the graphic aspect of the events or to insert audio/visual elements in decision trees

68. Set internal variables value: The game holds an internal array. This can be used as a sort of ‘state machine’ for complex event correlations

69. ‘Case of’ tree: event structured just like the CASE instruction in programming languages, such as SQL. Different events are activated according to current value of one of the internal variables

70. Null event: game contents logic may require an ‘empty’ event

71. Game Over: event overriding the normal ‘game-over’ rulesGame 2: “MOGABAL”

73. Quiz game: using ‘permanent’ event-sprites linked each to a long list of random quizzes regarding various topics

74. Exploration: use of ‘fog of war’ and visible or hidden obstacles/borders can allow creation of labyrinth games for exploration

75. Arcade Style Game: event-sprites can also be ‘set’ for programmed or semi-random movement on a map, thus the game can be aimed to avoid ‘negative event’ sprites while searching collision with ‘positive event’ sprites

76. Simulation: an interactive map can ‘put’ a player’s avatar in a situation (e.g. a car accident or a similar crisis situation). Interaction with game elements may force the player to try to make the right decision

77. Adventure Game: with some ‘plot creation’, the simple ‘simulation’ game above described can be evolved into a complex ‘adventure-game’, with several stages (maps). By using the ‘Set internal variables value’ event it is possible for the game to ‘keep memory’ of players’ choices and have the ‘adventure world’ react accordinglyGame 2: “MOGABAL”

79. Supports curriculum delivery

80. Games with parts of real world problem finding and problem solving

81. Games are highly collaborative

84. Planning and undertaking learning activity in competition with other teams

85. Afterwards they reflect on the processes they were engaged in

86. Learning goals are decided collaboratively by the teacher and their group of students Content goals: e.g. Making choices (after Prensky, 2001). Activity goals: e.g. Skills, Judgement; Process, Procedures; Observation (after Prensky, 2001). Process goals: e.g. Analyse, Evaluate, Create (after Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001). Game 3: Pervasive game template: “Get Real!”

89. The game website was accessible by all participants and this way the results of the own and all other sub-groups could be constantly monitored.

90. The participants and lecturer could constantly monitor the activities of all groups via the gaming platform Game 3: Digital economy

91. mobile Game Based Learning Game 3: Digital economy

92. mobile Game Based Learning Game 3: Digital economy

94. Students who do not respond well in the traditional classroom setting often emerged as positive and enthusiastic learners in the context of the games.

95. mGBL game templates provide a very good toolkit for emotional and playful learningConclusions

97. http://mgbl.sourceforge.net/

98. http://sourceforge.net/projects/mogabal-mgbl/

99. http://www.evolaris.netThomas Putz evolaris next level GmbH Hugo-Wolf-Gasse 8 -8a A-8010 Graz Austria thomas.putz@evolaris.net Additional Information and Downloads

100. mobile Game Based Learning Back Up

101. The mGBL project consortium

102. mobile Game Based Learning Game 1: Hybrid quiz simulation game template: “Ahead of the Game”: Results from 137 students and 13 teachers

103. mobile Game Based Learning Below are example games descriptors, from which Game authors can select.

104. mobile Game Based Learning References (1) Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy of learning, teaching, and assessment: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman, New York. Argyris, C. and Schön, D. (1978). Organizational learning: a theory of action perspective. McGraw-Hill, New York. Bruner, J. (1973) Going Beyond the Information Given, Norton, New York; In: Kearsley (1996b); At: http://www.scarbvts.demon.co.uk/edmods.htmBelbin, R., M. (2003). Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail. Butterworth- Heinemann, 2ND ED edition, Oxford, UK. De Bono, E. (1967). New Think: The Use of Lateral Thinking in the Generation of New Ideas. Basic Books, New York Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. Basic Books, New York. Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey.

105. mobile Game Based Learning References (2) Race, P. (1994) The Open Learning Handbook, Kogan Page, London. Prensky M (2001). Digital Game-based Learning. McGraw Hill, New York, USA SEEQUEL project: www.education-observatories.net/seequel Skinner, B. F. (1948) Walden II, Macmillan, New York; In: Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey: 22, 34. Small, P. (2000). The Ultimate Game of Strategy. Pearson Books.com ISBN: 027364999X. Draft chapters accessed at: http://www.stigmergicsystems.com/stig_v1/books/ugs/toc.html?818599 Tolman, E.C. (1932) Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men, Appleton-Century- Crofts, New York, In: Kearsley, G. (1996i)Sign Learning: E. Tolman, At: http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/educ/tip/48.htmVygotsky, L.S. (1982) Problems in the theory and history of psychology, Collected works, Vol. I, Plenum, New York, In: Cole and Wertsch (1999) Beyond the Individual-Social Antimony in Discussions of Piaget and Vygotsky; At: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/colevyg.htm