Download Game ON: Learning through Serious Games Exchange semester

Game ON:
Learning through
Serious Games
Exchange semester
You will be part of a multidisciplinary group which unites expertise from didactic and
game production backgrounds to design and develop an educational game for an
international learning environment.
You will perform various roles that correspond with the various competencies
ranging from establishing learning needs, determining content, producing
multimedia assets, testing to implementing and communicating.
Course
Blueprint to Realization
Credits
5
Content
You will work together to develop a multimedia intervention as an answer to an educational or
psychological need of a specified youth group. The aim of the intervention is either behavioural
modification and/or learning benefits. You are organized in a project-team.
The project comprises two phases; a blueprint phase and a preparation / realization phase. Within
those phases six developmental stages will be addressed.
At the end of each of the six stages, you will deliver a document in which the progress of the project
is reported to the commissioner. Each document will be evaluated on specified project- and content
criteria. The stage of actual preparation / realization and implementation of the application will be
evaluated in a criterion centered interview with each of the students.
Course
Kaleidoscope
Credits
2
Content
Many disciplines are involved in designing and developing successful multimedia interventions. In this
part of the programme a selection of experts is invited to share their knowledge with you. Depending
on the project at hand, topics like psychology, multimedia, gaming, education, cooperation skills and
more can be considered.
The results of the workshops are discussed within your project team and used in the concept
delivered at the end of the first half of the programme.
Course
Intercultural Coorporation
Credits
2
Maybe you know how to play a game, but have you ever thought about how games are interpreted
and perceived in different cultures? What their function can be and how they reflect the do’s and
don’ts of a specific culture?
Content
In this course you will dive deeper into the intercultural aspect of communication: how students in
other cultures are being taught and how they learn, and how this can be expressed through the usage
of educational multimedia. The multicultural classroom will be one of the pillars in this course: you will
not only learn through workshops how to cooperate effectively with your international classmates, but
you will also learn how to use this newly adopted cultural awareness while developing the game.
The end product will be adapted to cultural sensitivities, and will be tested by other students of
international educational institutes. During this course you will reflect on your own progress, which will
result in a final individual paper.
Course
Psychology & Developing Multimedia Concepts
Credits
4
Applying a multimedia game to develop children’s knowledge, behaviour or thinking, psychological
theories can be helpful to reach one’s goals (with the intervention). In this course, you will gain useful
knowledge in a number of theories, in the social, the developmental and in the cognitive psychological
domain. You will learn how to apply these theories to practical questions.
Developing a concept is a most fascinating & creative event in the process of innovation. It is a
radical, inspiring and challenging idea-generating process.
The aim of this course is to develop outstanding ideas outside the framework of usual routines and, as
a result, produce innovative ideas and concepts applicable to the assignment.
Content
The course consists of a series of six subsequent steps leading up a to a number of implementationready innovative concepts..
Step 1: Briefing & Goal Formulation
Step 2: Knowledge Management and Expertise
Step 3: Research Fields
Step 4: Concept creation
Step 5: Dummies & Sketches
Step 6: Idea Evaluation & Assessment
Course
Flash and Games 1
Credits
2
Content
Flash can be used for the production of a multimedia application. In this course students will be
divided into two groups.
One group will learn and master the Flash Professional interface in order to create drawings and
animations. You will work towards a short animated story.
The second group will learn to use Flash Builder (based on Eclipse) and ActionScript3. For this group
prior programming knowledge is recommended. You will explore the Flash environment and its gaming
applications.
Course
Preparation / Realization
Credits
10
You will work together in a group to develop a multimedia intervention as an answer to an educational
or psychological need of a specified youth group. The aim of the intervention is either behavioural
modification and/or learning benefits. You are organized in a project-team.
Content
The project comprises two phases; a blueprint phase and a preparation / realization phase. Within
those phases six developmental stages will be addressed.
At the end of each of the six stages, you will deliver a document in which the progress of the project
is reported to the commissioner. Each document will be evaluated on specified project- and content
criteria.
Course
Researching Effectiveness
Credits
3
Content
While conceptual theories can help with developing an multimedial intervention, one has to determine
its effect afterwards.
In this course you are trained in obtaining/collecting empirical evidence of the effectiveness of such an
intervention.
Course
Flash and Games 2
Credits
2
Content
In this course you will work together in one group as opposed to the clear seperation in GON5.
All disciplines work together in creating a single application. The graphical artists will create assets of
different kinds for the application. The programmers will work together with the artists in order to make
the process as smooth as possible.
Depending on your discipline you will learn to prepare assets, define workflows, test and adapt the
application, write complex programming constructs to make the game work and perform as desired.
Contact details
For questions about the content of this programme, please contact Mr Harro Leupen:
HAN-0636
E [email protected]