Problem-based Learning8 scenarios avaliable to engage into engineering
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VIRTUAL CITY ENVIRONMENT FOR ENGINEERING PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN FUNDED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION. THIS PUBLICATION REFLECTS THE VIEWS ONLY OF THE AUTHOR, AND THE COMMISSION CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY USE WHICH MAY BE MADE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN.
PARTNERS
Instituto Superior de Engenharia do
Porto, Portugal
University of Thessaly, Greece
Fondazione Ikaros / Santa Rita, Italy
University of Vigo, Spain
Virtual Campus, Portugal
University of Valencia,
Spain
Ayas Naime Ali Karatas Cok
Programli Lisesi, Turkey
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Motivations
• The difficulty that secondary education students have with Mathematics and other Science. This prevents these students to follow a technical academic path like Engineering.
• This is not due to lesser skills of these youngsters but mostly due to wrong teaching strategies. We cannot forget that this generation is the "net-generation" or "digital natives”.
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Goals
1. Design, develop and validate a pedagogical methodology, supported by a city-development game engine (SimCity like).
2. A validated pedagogical methodology to integrate the eCity platform in engineering schools
3. A motivational methodology to be used in secondary or vocational schools to integrate the eCity platform as a complementary activity for students to develop their interest and motivation towards engineering
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Target Groups
1. Students from secondary and vocational schools (initial levels) that need to be motivated to follow and engineering or technical academic career
2. Students from higher education in Engineering careers
3. Teachers/trainers from secondary and vocational schools which will support their students and benefit from the eCity platform as a complement to their teaching
4. Teachers from Higher Education and Engineering faculties that will be able to tutor their students and complement their teaching
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Problem-based Learning (PBL)
• Students develop their ability to go through a problem solving process, usually based on real-life situations.
• Engineering is one of the areas where PBL is a valid learning alternative.
• Games can be instantiated for learning as they involve mental and physical stimulation and develop practical skills.
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Analysis of Best Practices
Academic knowledge needed to play
Sophisticated design techniques
Multiple scenarios
Promotion of interes and creativity in
players
Promotion of social interaction
Promoting the use of games
Communication on social networks
Multilingual and multiplatform
Games development
Facilitate learning tasks
Evaluation
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Results: eCity Game Engine
• Windows
• Mac
• Linux
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Results: a set of 8 ready-available problems
9
Energy Distribution
Renewable Energies Internet Server
ProvidersMobile
Connection
Earthquake Protection
Flood Protection Pollution Public Transportation
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Results: Pedagogical and Motivational Methodologies
• Students playing the scenarios as an introduction to topics or as a motivation
• Engineering students themselves will develop new challenges and problems, applying the concepts learned at higher education
• Secondary/Vocational students will be solving the set of project-developed challenges plus the new ones with the support of engineering students
