Title :
Raising awareness on sustainability issues through a mobile game
Author :
Lameras, Petros ; Petridis, Panagiotis ; Dunwell, Ian
Author_Institution :
Coventry Univ., Coventry, UK
Abstract :
The paper presents a review on, and analysis of, the design, development and evaluation of experiences of learning through the `Sustainability Serious Game´. The mobile game has been developed as means of helping public authorities to collect information and feedback on how public spaces could be improved based on collective intelligence procedures. Furthermore, as part of enhancing learning, the game intends to provide knowledge and awareness on sustainability issues for public constructions relevant to engineering and architectural disciplines. Deployed targeted questionnaires with thirty-three (33) computer science students in UK and analysed through a Likert Scale findings from evaluation demonstrate that a conceptual change may be achieved in relation to how sustainability has been perceived. A questionnaire with 20 questions was distributed to students for evaluating various elements of the game such as usability characteristics, accumulation, assimilation and consolidation of new knowledge patterns related to the learning-oriented benefits of the game with an implicit focus on whether the game can be integrated within an academic setting. The fundamental conclusion from the analysis of the game uptake is that it enhances student´s engagement with sustainability issues, especially in blended learning contexts for `blending´ different pedagogical approaches with game-oriented features as means of improving educational practice.
Keywords :
computer aided instruction; environmental science computing; mobile learning; public administration; serious games (computing); sustainable development; Likert scale; Sustainability Serious Game; architectural discipline; blended learning; collective intelligence; engineering disciplines; game usability characteristics; knowledge pattern accumulation; knowledge pattern assimilation; knowledge pattern consolidation; learning-oriented game benefits; mobile game; public constructions; sustainability issues awareness; Cities and towns; Collaboration; Computers; Conferences; Education; Games; Mobile communication; mobile serious games; public spaces; sustainability; urban cities;
Conference_Titel :
Interactive Mobile Communication Technologies and Learning (IMCL), 2014 International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Thessaloniki
DOI :
10.1109/IMCTL.2014.7011135