Towards the Support of Scaffolding in Customizable Puzzle-based Learning Games
Javier Melero, Davinia Hernández-Leo, Josep Blat
Department of Information and Communication Technologies
Universitat Pompeu Fabra: Barcelona, Spain
{javier.melero, davinia.hernandez, josep.blat}@upf.edu
Abstract—Serious games can be used as learning tools since
learning games are more in correspondence with the current
generation of students, foster students’ motivation, and
increase the learning effects, making learning meaningful to
students. This paper presents a conceptual model for
representing designs coming down to a puzzle-based game
implementing an active learning method that describes the
activities flow for learners. Each activity refers to a collection
of puzzle pieces needed to perform the activity. In order to
support the performance of individual activities, microscaffolding support, such as question or hints, can be also
defined using our proposed model.
Scaffolding; Puzzle-based game
I.
INTRODUCTION
Many authors believe that the current generation of
students is different from former generations due to the
changes in their media consumption patterns. New
educational approaches are required to be in correspondence
with these students [2, 9, 11]. For this reason, many studies
have indicated that traditional educational approaches need a
shift to new pedagogical techniques based on constructivist
learning theories [4]. In that sense, serious games are being
proposed in the technology enhanced learning research
domain as potential learning approaches that foster students’
motivation, increasing the learning effects, making learning
meaningful to students and creating a learning culture which
is more in correspondence with students’ interests [6].
Frequently-cited arguments held by researchers for using
serious game in education are: (a) they can invoke intense
engagement in learners [12], (b) they can encourage active
learning [3], (c) empirical evidence shows that games can be
effective tools for enhancing learning and understanding of
complex subject matter, and (d) computers games can foster
collaboration among learners [5]. Besides, games that
encompass educational objectives and subject matter are
believed to hold the potential to render learning of academic
subjects more learner-centred, easier, more enjoyable, more
interesting, and, thus, more effective [7, 10]. One particular
type of games in this area is those based on puzzles since
subject-matter specific concepts can be easily represented as
puzzle pieces.
Regarding the learning process, providing guidance to
students has been seen necessary to enhance their learning
experience. In that sense, scaffolding techniques are often
needed to help students succeed in their learning and to
achieve the expected learning outcomes [15]. Scaffolding
techniques are processes, such as coaching through prompts,
templates and guides, tools or strategies that teachers
implement in order to support a student, that thoroughly
guide students towards the successful completion of a
learning activity [14]. In particular, within the Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) area different
scaffolding techniques have been indentified [8]. Namely:
social-guidance and system-guidance scaffolding, depending
on whether an individual or a tool is the responsible of
providing support to students; macro-scaffolding when
pedagogical methods defines activities flows, or microscaffolding when the support is provided to perform specific
activities; and tool-enveloped scaffolding, when a tool is
used as part of a scaffolded learning process, and toolembedded scaffolding when the scaffolding is applied within
a specific supporting tooling. Furthermore, within this
context it has been noticed that [8]: a) there is a lack of ICTdevoted tools satisfactorily implementing active learning
methods and, as a consequence, instructors themselves
provide this support to students; b) current tools may not be
flexible or adaptable enough to address specific learning
tasks related to ICT education (i.e. they lack on microscaffold students during the learning process); and c) having
an ICT-devoted system integrating macro-scaffolding and
micro-scaffolding seems to be very difficult to achieve since
the predominant solution is to envelope ICT-devoted tools in
a general approach and to delegate teachers the provision of
micro guidance.
Taking these facts in consideration, we propose a
conceptual model to design serious games (in concrete,
puzzle-based games) that combine macro- and microscaffolding. The final aim is that teachers, provided of
authoring tool compliant with the model, will be able to
create their own puzzle games embedding scaffolding. The
remainder of the paper is organized as follows. In Section II,
the conceptual model is presented by defining the
requirements it should fulfil and by describing its main
elements. Section III presents some learning scenarios,
within the ICT area, which can benefit from the use of
puzzle-based games. Finally, Section IV presents the
conclusions and future work lines derived from this work.
II.
MODELING SCAFFOLDED PUZZLE-BASED GAMES
The objective of this conceptual model is to provide a
framework of elements that can describe the design of
puzzle-based games implementing macro- and microscaffolding support to learners.
Figure 1. Graphical representation of the aggregation model.
The conceptual model is expressed as a set of UML class
models and a definition of the vocabulary used. In concrete,
there are two basic models: an aggregation model and a
structure model.
A. Aggregation Model
Figure 1 represents the aggregation relationships and the
specializations of abstract classes of the conceptual model
showing that a puzzle-based game design provides
scaffolding approaches and integrates different puzzle pieces
responsible for solving the different learning activities.
The model shows two levels of semantic aggregation (the
two horizontal layers of grey coloured classes). The
semantically highest level is the puzzle-based game which
aggregates a collection of components, scaffolding
approaches, and objectives.
On the one hand, a scaffolding approach can be classified
in macro-scaffolding or micro-scaffolding, depending on the
granularity level of the learning process where is applied. In
that sense, macro-scaffolding can be defined by an active
learning method (e.g.: Problem-based learning, Inquirybased learning, Cognitive apprenticeship, etc.) or other
teacher’s strategy (e.g. increase level of difficulty). Microscaffolding, on the contrary, can be implemented as a hint,
question prompt or other resource to provide specific support
to students performing concrete tasks.
Figure 2. Graphical representation of the structure model .
On the other hand, a component can be one out of three
different types: a) the activities’ flow (composed by simple
activities) that defines the different tasks of the game; b) the
puzzle pieces and their relations that are the means by which
students propose a solution to the different activities; c) and
the score, and its related feedback associated to each possible
solution.
B. Structure Model
This model emphasises the functional relationships
between the classes (see Figure 2). The core of the puzzlebased game design is that macro- and micro- scaffolding
approaches are provided to students. Macro-scaffolding is
provided in a way of an active learning method which
defines the activities flow of a game. Each activity has
associated a score. Students have to play with different
puzzle pieces in order to construct or design a solution to
solve a specific activity. Micro-scaffolding, on the other
hand, could be provided to students in order to guide them to
achieve a correct solution of a concrete problem. These
support approaches could be implemented as a hint or a
question.
APPLYING PUZZLE-BASED GAMES IN DIFFERENT
LEARNING SITUATIONS
Teachers can apply the presented conceptual model to
support the learning of subject-matter specific concepts and
skills by means of puzzle-based games designs.
The proposed conceptual model defines a generalization
of these puzzle-based games to allow the opportunity of
designing different games to specific-subject matters. More
specifically, the learning process (i.e. activities’ flow) could
by defined by an active learning method in order to guide
students during the different activities (i.e. macroscaffolding). Each activity will be related to different puzzle
pieces that students should join to reach a solution. Specificpurpose mechanisms, such as questions or hints, can be
provided to help students during the building process (i.e.
micro-scaffolding). Furthermore, there will be a limited
number of attempts to reach a specific solution and a
feedback will be provided to students at the end of the game.
For instance, ICT that is suffering a decreasing interest
by students in the enrolment of the studies related to this area
[1, 13] may benefit from the use of this kind of puzzle-based
games in schools and higher education to increase the
III.
students’ interests and motivation towards this field. Besides,
since most of the subjects in ICT engineering education are
primarily characterized by learning about concepts and the
relations among them, puzzled-based game could be apply
by representing concepts as pieces of a puzzle. Hence, the
use of puzzle-based games may provide a good opportunity
to foster students’ motivation and to deal with the needs of
different ICT educational situations.
Some examples to apply this approach in ICT
engineering education can be: a) Programming
Fundamentals, where blocks of programming instructions
can be designed as specific puzzle pieces that students must
join each other to reach a solution for a proposed program; b)
Computer Architecture, where different activities related to
learn about Boolean logic or von Neumann architecture can
be design as a puzzle-based games where puzzle pieces
becomes different logic gates, CPUs, Control Units,
Arithmetic Logic Units, Memories, etc; and, c) in Computing
Networks different games can be designed using different
devices, such as modems, routers, firewalls, etc., as puzzle
pieces.
For instance, a teacher of a Computer Architecture course
may design an activity using a puzzle-based game compliant
with the presented model. First of all, this teacher selects an
inquiry-based learning approach to define de activity’s
workflow (i.e. macro-scaffolding).
The sequence of
activities for an inquiry-based learning approach is: a) ask a
question; b) research about the topic of the question; c)
create a solution; d) discuss your solution; and e) reflect
upon the activity. In this way, the teacher can define the
question that the game will show to the students (see figure
3.a), defines the sources that the students would need to
research about this topic (see figure 3.b), and then designs
the elements the students would need in order to create their
own solutions (see Figure 3.c).
The puzzle-based game’s interface will allow the
students to drag and drop the elements from the list to a
“construction” area where the students will build their own
solutions (Figure 3.d).
Each element has its own hint (i.e. micro-scaffolding)
describing their main functionalities, and each time a
students makes a mistake when matching the elements, a hint
(i.e. micro-scaffolding) would appear to students to guide
them to a correct solution. Those hints would be previously
defined by the teacher as well.
IV.
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK
In this paper we have described the potential benefits of
using serious games in current education since they are more
in correspondence to students’ interests. We have also
highlighted the importance of scaffolding the learning
process and the lack of devoted tools implementing such
mechanisms of support.
Taking this situation in consideration, we have proposed
a conceptual model for the design of puzzle-based games
that provides scaffolding to students for performing different
tasks. In particular, we described this conceptual model
through the use of an aggregation model representing the
relationships of the different components of the model, and a
structure model emphasizing the functional relationships
between these components.
Different learning situations in the area of ICT
engineering education have been exposed. From these
examples we stress that the use of puzzle-based games
defined by this proposed conceptual model could increase
the students’ interests and motivation towards the ICT field.
Different lines of future work emerge from the
conceptual model presented in this paper and have to do
with: a) the implementation of the conceptual model to allow
teachers automatically create their own puzzle-based games;
and b) the implementation and evaluation of puzzle-based
games according to the principles of this conceptual model to
analyse the learning benefits of using such approaches.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research has been partially funded by the Spanish
Ministry of Science and Innovation in the Learn3 project
(TIN2008-05163/TSI).
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