An Investigation Of Gamification Typologies For Enhancing Learner Motivation
ViPi desktop and mobile games to develop ICT skills for people with disabilities
1. VIPI - VIRTUAL PORTAL FOR
INTERACTION AND ICT TRAINING FOR
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
www.vipi-project.eu
511792-LLP-1-2010-1-GR-KA3-KA3NW
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facebook.com/vipiproject
twitter.com/ViPi_project
2. THE VIPI DESKTOP GAMES
ANDY BURTON NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY, UK
ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
www.vipi-project.eu
511792-LLP-1-2010-1-GR-KA3-KA3NW
2
facebook.com/vipiproject
twitter.com/ViPi_project
3. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
ABOUT VIPI – (VIRTUAL PORTAL FOR
INTERACTION AND ICT TRAINING FOR
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES)
a three year project launched in January 2011.
It involves partners from Belgium, Cyprus, Greece,
Lithuania, and the UK.
The project aims at creating accessible and flexible basic ICT
skills training, designed to meet the specific needs of people
with disabilities by encompassing:
An interactive online portal with a semantically enriched repository
hosting learning objects (Web 3.0 approach),
A social networking and community building area, both online and mobile
(Web 2.0 approach),
An online learning environment hosting SCORM (Sharable Content
Object Reference Model) compliant training courses,
WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) compliant accessibility
Embedded rich internet applications (Desktop and Mobile Games)
Multi-language support. 3
4. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
EDUCATIONAL AND PEDAGOGICAL
FRAMEWORK
Research has shown that in people with intellectual
disability games-based learning can:
Improve memory (Brown et al, 2008)
Improve functional skills (Brown et al, 2011)
Improve decision making (Standen et al, 2009i)
Improve choice reaction time (Standen et al, 2009ii)
If games are to become mainstream classroom tools,
teachers (who are often not gamers) need support to:
Identify games that meet their learning objectives
Work out how games can be incorporated in lessons
Work out how learning can be assessed. (Ulicsac and Wright, 2010)
Games based learning is just a part of the educational and
pedagogical framework being employed in ViPi
Curriculum, training documents, exercises and trainer’s
handbook are also provided – all supported by the games 4
5. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
VIPI DESKTOP AND MOBILE GAMES
Adapted Games
True/False Quiz
Escapology ICT
Rob the Mob ICT
New Games
Memobile for Android
Stay Safe! (under development)
Fly Swat (pending student project)
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6. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAMES – TRUE FALSE QUIZ
4 rounds of 7 questions each.
Subject areas:
Using your computer
Using the internet
Using email
Staying safe
Questions consist of a True of
false statement.
Answers are marked correct or
wrong immediately (using smiley
faces and buzzer sounds) and
more information is fed back on
the question’s subject.
Results can be exported as a pdf
Document
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RUN GAME
8. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAMES – ESCAPOLOGY
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Gameplay
Hangman style game
Choose a subject area
around which the words
will be based.
Each word has a clue
3 playing levels to make
the game easier or more
difficult.
Explanation or description
given when the word is
revealed which explains a
little more about the word.
9. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAMES – ESCAPOLOGY
Subjects
Computers
Computer parts (11 words)
Using the computer (35 words)
Assistive technology (14 words)
Going Online
Web browsing (22 words)
Safety (17 words)
Email (17 words)
Communication software (13 words)
Mobile phones (18 words)
Software
Presentations (10 words)
Spreadsheets (15 words)
Windows (30 words)
Word processing (19 words)
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RUN GAME
10. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
ESCAPOLOGY (EXAMPLES)
URL
A web address
Or Universal Resource Locator
means a web address.
ADDRESS BAR
Where the URL goes
Type a URL into the address
bar, and hit enter to load a web
page.
FORWARD
Go to next page
Moves you on to the next page
after a back action (Right
pointing arrow)
BACK
Return to previous page
Hit the back button (arrow
pointing left) to go back to the
previous page.
REFRESH
Re load the page
Refresh reloads the page. You
can use the shortcut key F5 for
this.
FAVOURITE
Bookmarks
Favourite pages may be
bookmarks, or pages that you
visit most regularly.
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NAVIGATE
Move through pages
We navigate through pages
by clicking hyperlinks.
HYPERLINK
Click it to navigate
This is text or images you
click to perform an action,
usually navigation.
GOOGLE
A search engine
Currently the most popular
search engine at
www.google.com
BING
A search engine
Microsoft's search engine
at www.bing.com
SEARCH ENGINE
Seek a webpage?
A search engine retrieves
results based on your
search criteria.
MALWARE
Disruptive software
Malicious software which
can break your computer
or steal your data.
SPYWARE
A type of malware
Spyware collects and
sends information about
you without your
knowledge.
DOWNLOAD
Get a file?
You can download files
from the web to your
computer.
FORMS
Input your data?
Web based forms are
sometimes used to collect
your data.
USERNAME
Your log in
Some sites and
computers ask for a
username to personalise
your experience.
PASSWORD
Secret login
Keep passwords secret and do
NOT save them on public
machines.
CACHE
Saved pages
Pages are cached locally to
your computer to speed up re-
downloads.
HISTORY
Where you've been?
The browser stores a history of
the pages you visit.
TABS
Windows in windows.
Multiple tabs at the top of the
browser can hold a web-page
each.
SECURE
Are you safe?
HTTPS secure web browsing
should be used when sensitive
data is sent.
BOOKMARK
Save for later?
You can bookmark a web page
to make it easy to find again
later.
11. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAMES – ROB THE MOB
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Gameplay
Card game
Try to win the money
from the gangster by
picking the right
answer card
4 possible answers to
each question
Winning wins you
your stake from the
gangster. Losing pays
the gangster your
stake.
Get all of the
gangster’s money to
win
12. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAMES – ROB THE MOB
Subjects
communication
software
using email
manipulating
windows
keyboard
shortcuts
web browsing
and security
using the
computer
assistive
technology
the computer
and its parts
interacting with
touchscreens
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RUN GAME
13. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAME CONTENT EDITOR – ROB THE MOB
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Free
Enables easy
creation of new
game content.
Currently for
Escapology and
rob the mob
Creates new xml
that immediately
runs with the
games
future edit will
include editors
for true false
quiz and stay
safe
14. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
GAME CONTENT EDITOR - ESCAPOLOGY
14
Freely available
Enables easy
creation of new
game content.
Currently for
Escapology and
rob the mob
Creates new xml
that immediately
runs within the
games
future edit will
include editors
for true false
quiz and stay
safe
RUN Editor
15. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
MEMOBILE
Memobile for Android (developed by
ViPi partners Hiteco in Lithuania)
Matching pairs (match the
similar computer parts)
Starter kit (press the start
buttons accurately)
Press and Action (multi choice
quiz)
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16. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
USER TESTING SESSIONS – OCTOBER 2012
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About the Test Sessions
Held at Oak Field School,
Nottingham
The Oak Field School is a City co-
educational day school for children
aged 3-19 years with special
educational needs, in particular severe
and profound learning difficulties
and/or physical difficulties.
2 sessions
1. NICER group – specialised testing with approx
15 current and past Oak Field students with a
range of disabilities and needs
2. ViPi Multinational Workshop – bringing together
15 users and trainers from the partner countries
with a range of interests and disabilities
Both ran with brief descriptive
demonstrations of the games followed
by hands on sessions:
1. Game sessions were run on a large screen as a
complete group.
2. Game sessions were carried out in breakout
groups of 2 to 5 users
In both cases
Users were asked to try out the
games
A think aloud protocol was
employed and notes were
made by researchers
17. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
USER TESTING SESSIONS – OCTOBER 2012
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Initial Findings
A number of bugs were revealed
For intellectual disability
In True or False quiz – use the terms Yes and
No instead
Rephrase questions to offer single word
answers to questions where possible
Fonts should use simple characters i.e. with
letters such as a and g formed as taught in
the school
A simplified version of the content would be
better – adjusted curriculum required for
target group.
Adding key presses for letter guessing in
Escapology would be more intuitive
Relevant images may help with the
understanding of some questions
Add symbol sets with written words where
possible
Use images with feedback where appropriate
For visual impairment
Make text size be bigger in Rob the Mob
game –or use with a magnifier.
Contrast could be better in Escapology
for the word being guessed (currently
dark grey on light grey)
The voice used in the true false quiz
game was clear and helpful
18. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
PILOTING – DURING 2013
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Initial Findings
Initial feedback will be used to:
Address and fix all bugs found
Improve accessibility of the games
Tailor the games to specific target
audiences by:
Content adjustment
Use of appropriate fonts
Possible use of symbol sets
Rephrasing of questions to make them
easier to understand
Enhancement with images where
possible
Improvement of playability of the
games
Adding letter key input in escapology
Full piloting and enhancement of
the games will take place
throughout 2013 in all four
partner languages.
19. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
CONCLUSIONS
By using:
User led games development
Customisable game content
Enhanced semantic search portal
ViPi hopes that the many identified benefits of a games-
based learning approach can be introduced into
classrooms by providing:
Games that meet learning objectives
A structure to allow their incorporation in the curriculum
Means to assess the learning achieved
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22. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
STAY SAFE! (COMING SOON!)
Subjects
Emails
Web use
Messenger programs
Social networks
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Gameplay
Role play game
Player is a computer user trying to
keep himself and his computer safe
Screen shows the problems
including user going through a set of
new emails, friendship adds on a
messenger program, scenarios on a
social network and issues in a web
browser.
Questions repeated and set out
using an overlaid display.
A helper standing behind the user is
watching over the user’s progress
and can offer help and advice when
the player makes bad decisions.
23. ITAG EHD - 23/10/2012, NTU Nottingham UK.
FLY SWAT (FUTURE DEV)
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P-level Target Game idea
P2i Briefly tracks vertically moving object on
screen
Watch vertical moving fly
P2i Briefly tracks horizontally moving object on
screen
Watch horizontal moving
fly
P2ii Tracks vertically moving object on screen Watch vertical moving fly
P2ii Tracks horizontally moving object on screen Watch horizontal moving
fly
P3i Tracks predictable movements with changes
of direction of a moving stimulus across a
screen
Watch fly walk around
perimeter of screen
P3ii Tracks random movement on a screen Watch fly fly randomly
around screen
P5 Tracks movement across a screen showing
reaction at appropriate point
Response when a
horizontally moving fly
reaches food/target to
swat
P5 Tracks object horizontally across the screen
operating the switch at the correct time
Activate switch when a
horizontally moving fly
reaches food/target to
swat
P5 Tracks object vertically across the screen
operating the switch at the correct time
Activate switch when a
vertically moving fly
reaches food/target to
swat
P6 Activate switch to randomly generated visual
prompts
Activate switch when fly
appears
P6 Activate switch to randomly generated audible
prompts
Activate switch when fly
sound is heard
P6 Understands in a two switch activity that each
switch triggers a separate action
Activate 2 switches. one
controls swat action one
controls catch in jar
action?
P7 Activate switch to control horizontal
movement – almost on target
Stop horizontally moving
fly on outer target
P7 Activate switch to control horizontal
movement –on target
Stop horizontally moving
fly on inner target
P7 Activate switch to control vertical movement –
almost on target
Stop vertically moving fly
on outer target
P7 Activate switch to control vertical movement –
on target
Stop vertically moving fly
on inner target
P7 Use space bar as a switch -apply in any of the above
P8 Press switch at appropriate moment e.g. to hit
target
Stop randomly moving fly
on a target
Support p-level targets
• from showing awareness of the output technologies,
• to awareness that the user can interact with the
technology,
• through to practicing with interaction with the
technology.
Stimulating visually and audibly.
Oak Field P-level curriculum analysed.
The primary areas where the curriculum could be best
supported by game technologies were identified as
• reaction and interaction,
• sequencing,
• choosing and
• matching.
Of these, the area that would support the broadest part of
the curriculum was that of reaction and interaction.
Supports certain p-level tasks from p2 to p8
Such a game would need to be adjustable with the ability
to set the speed of movement and with a variety of
colours and variations in contrast and resolution
available to suit as many potential users as possible.