Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Using Game Design to Teach Informatics and Society Topics in Secondary Schools

Version 1 : Received: 26 July 2018 / Approved: 26 July 2018 / Online: 26 July 2018 (16:38:48 CEST)

How to cite: Kayali, F.; Schwarz, V.; Purgathofer, P.; Götzenbrucker, G. Using Game Design to Teach Informatics and Society Topics in Secondary Schools. Preprints 2018, 2018070523. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0523.v1 Kayali, F.; Schwarz, V.; Purgathofer, P.; Götzenbrucker, G. Using Game Design to Teach Informatics and Society Topics in Secondary Schools. Preprints 2018, 2018070523. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0523.v1

Abstract

This article discusses the use of game design as a method for interdisciplinary project-based teaching in secondary school education to convey informatics and society topics. There is a lot of knowledge about learning games but little background on project-based teaching using game design as a method. We present the results of an analysis of student-created games and an evaluation of a student-authored database on learning contents found in commercial off-the-shelf games. We further contextualise these findings using a group discussion with teachers. Results underline the effectiveness of project-based teaching to raise awareness for informatics and society topics. We further outline informatics and society topics that are particularly interesting to students, genre preferences and potentially engaging game mechanics stemming from our analyses.

Keywords

game-based learning; game design; project-based teaching; informatics and society, cybersecurity

Subject

Social Sciences, Education

Comments (1)

Comment 1
Received: 30 July 2018
Commenter: (Click to see Publons profile: )
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Comment: Using game design in project based learning can be helpful in fostering higher order learning in students. In this study, the authors explored the design of games by secondary school students. The study is of great significance since it offers evidence on the value of game based design in learning. However, the methods section does not have details on the controls the authors used to ensure the results where valid and repeatable.

The authors may want to include a detailed rubric highlighting the criteria used to evaluate the games designed by the students. This is important to ensure that the evaluation was consistent. Furthermore, they should state the number of coders used in the evaluation - for determination of bias/reproducibility.

The authors included pedagogical perspectives on game design. However, they should probably include details about the learning theory on game design - behaviorist, constructivist, cognitivist, etc.
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