Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore four general design features of King Digital Entertainment’s game “Candy Crush Saga” – structural, social, cognitive, and emotional – that reflect the principles of Universal Design for Learning and discusses how these features can be applied to course design in order to motivate learner persistence and increase student success. Design/methodology/approach – Both authors are casual Candy Crush game players intrigued by how the game motivates users to continue. The methodology began with participant observation and expanded to “deconstruction” of game features and application of research findings in multiple disciplines to build the argument that game design strategies can be applied to course design to enhance learning outcomes. Findings – Many factors influence game play, but it is crucial for each level to provide increasing challenges that motivate increased mastery but do not frustrate a player to the point of quitting. Similarly, course design that pr...
Teachers are challenged to create flexible learning environments that prepare students with diverse learning needs for adaptable thinking in a fast-paced and changing society. To address this need, we used a design-based research approach to develop a technology-based solution to individualize mathematical problem solving instruction to students based on their learning needs. We iteratively tested and refined the design with over 130 students as well as their teachers, parents, and content exper...
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss benefits of and barriers to online learning and describe utilization of the Quality Matters (QM) peer review process as a method to assure the quality of online courses. It outlines the QM higher education rubric, explains how the collaborative QM peer review process facilitates online course design and certification, reports on the development of a statewide consortium in Ohio, and explores future directions in online courses. Design/methodology...
Last. Ron Bowles(Justice Institute of British Columbia)H-Index: 7
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The article reports progress concerning the design of a computer-assisted simulation training (CAST) platform for developing decision-making skills in police students. The overarching aim is to outline a theoretical framework for the design of computer-assisted simulation training to facilitate police students’ development of search techniques in complex interactions within the built environment, learning to apply and perform the five “quick peek” techniques for information gathering and subsequ...
What constitutes a good life? Few questions are of more fundamental importance to a positive psychology. Flow research has yielded one answer, providing an understanding of experiences during which individuals are fully involved in the present moment. Viewed through the experiential lens of flow, a good life is one that is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. In this chapter, we describe the flow model of optimal experience and optimal development, explain how flow and related ...
Psychological research and theory have traditionally suggested that opportunities for choosing will lead to motivation and performance benefits. However, evidence on choice effects has not been ubiquitously positive, and recent investigations have revealed factors that diminish or reverse the effects of choosing. This investigation sought to extend this line of inquiry by examining whether interest factors may influence preferences for choosing and the effects of choice on motivation and perform...
The ongoing pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have enforced a shutdown of educative institutions of all levels, including high-school and university students, and has forced educators and institutions to adapt teaching strategies in a hasty way. This work reviews the use of gamification-based teaching during the pandemic lockdown through a search in Scopus, PsycInfo, ERIC and Semantic Scholar databases. A total of eleven papers from Chemistry, Business, Computer Science, Biol...
#1Russell Pine(Victoria University of Wellington)H-Index: 2
#2Kylie Sutcliffe(Victoria University of Wellington)H-Index: 2
Last. Theresa Fleming(Victoria University of Wellington)H-Index: 28
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BackgroundMental distress and disorders among adolescents are well documented. Despite the array of treatments available, many mental health issues remain untreated and often undiagnosed. In an att...
The interest in the application of gamification techniques under different contexts has increased during the last years, becoming a promising trend in many areas such as Human-Computer interaction (HCI) or educational technologies. Unfortunately, many instances of the use of these techniques do not meet their objectives of motivation, primarily due to poor design or a completely ``ad-hoc'' approach. Findings reveal that a formal design strategy is the key to success. This thesis presents the dev...
Game-based practice within Intelligent Tutoring Systems ITSs can be optimized by examining how properties of practice activities influence learning outcomes and motivation. In the current study, we manipulated when game-based practice was available to students. All students ni?ź=i?ź149 first completed lesson videos in iSTART-2, an ITS focusing on reading comprehension strategies. They then practiced with iSTART-2 for two 2-hour sessions. Students' first session was either in a game or nongame pr...
Purpose – In a time that could be described as a “perfect storm” in higher education, faculty and administration have been exploring all possible tools to attract students and help them stay on a curriculum path so they can graduate within a reasonable time. The purpose of this paper is to explore three strategies for riding the storm in a large mid-western USA university. Design/methodology/approach – The authors identify three strategies for increasing student retention and course completion, ...
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how the principles of universal design can be implemented by faculty and course designers to help give all learners access to equivalent information. It describes how information communication technologies can create barriers to information access, particularly when course content is rich in multimedia, but also how such technologies can be utilized to creates bridges to accessible content through designing for accessibility from the outset. Desi...