Development of Computer Game Based Instruction: The Periodic Table Game
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Development of Computer Game Based Instruction: The Periodic Table Game Brenda O'Neal1,2, Leigh McKenzie1,2, Garry W. Warren1,3, Earnest Nancy4, Timothy Bryant4, and Martin G. Bakker1,5 1 Center for Materials for Information Technology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487 2 Admiral Moorer Middle School, Eufaula, AL, 36027 3 Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487 4 Center for Communication and Educational Technology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487 5 Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487 ABSTRACT A collaboration between the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and the Integrated Science (IS) program run by the Center for Communication and Educational Technology (CCET) at The University of Alabama has been developing a computer game based approach to teaching Periodic Table concepts and facts to middle school students. The game is broken into seven different sections. There are three information centers, which are each paired with a game, and there is a “Dream Room” which provides an incentive for students to master the subject matter of the game. The three information centers focus on learning the elements, their positions in the periodic table, and trends in physical and chemical properties. The games then test the students’ knowledge of the concepts and facts in the information centers. The game is currently in a late beta version and can be accessed over the web at http://www.mint.ua.edu/periodictable. Preliminary results from a large evaluation exercise shows that classes that use the computer games improved significantly more on tests of subject matter than a control group. INTRODUCTION The idea of using computers to play games predates the development of the personal computer: one of the authors fondly remembers playing computer games on a DEC PDP-8. The idea of using computer games as educational tools can be traced back at least as far as work by Malone [1,2] and Malone and Lepper [3] in the 1980s. There currently exist various commercial educational computer games to teach students from pre-kindergarten onwards. In the mid 1990s Research Experiences for Teachers (RET participants working with The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at The University of Alabama explored using computer simulations to let students explore how simple machines, such as levers and inclined planes functioned. The success of this project lead to a more ambitious goal of developing the use of computer games to help middle school students master the content, organization and use of the periodic table. PROGRAM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION The earlier simulations were programmed in MacroMedia Director, for the new suite of games,
the decision was made to program in Flash, as this was believed to be more flexible. Drawing on expertise and resources in the Center for Communication and Educational Technology (CCET) at The University of Alabama a suite of three games, th
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