pedagogy

Game-Based Learning: A Pathway to Improving Affective and Cognitive Outcomes in Interdisciplinary Education

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , ,

FOO Maw Lin1 and MUN Lai Yoke2 

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science (FOS)
2Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

1chmfml@nus.edu.sg; 2ecsmunl@nus.edu.sg 

Foo, M. L., & Mun, L. Y. (2024). Game-based learning: A pathway to improving affective and cognitive outcomes in interdisciplinary education [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-foo-mun/

SUB-THEME

Others; Opportunities from Interdisciplinarity

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinary courses, pedagogy, game-based learning

CATEGORY

Lightning Talk

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

HS2904 is a new interdisciplinary course (IDC) in the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) co-designed and co-taught by the authors. This course examines the current renaissance of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) worldwide via an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the physics and chemistry of batteries into the environmental, economic, geopolitical and policy consideration of BEVs.

 

One of the learning outcomes for an IDC is for students to emerge from the silos of their disciplinary majors and view real-world issues from an integrated perspective, connecting across different disciplines. This is challenging as IDCs have no disciplinary pre-requisites and thus the disciplinary background of students is highly varied. Additionally, student motivation to understand the significance of interdisciplinary integration is often a challenge (Xu, 2022).

 

Game-based learning is a type of gameplay with defined learning outcomes (Plass, 2015). Games can be used as a means of promoting active learning through play, often leading to improved engagement and motivation (Ritzko, 2006; Buckley, 2016). Although game-based learning is frequently associated with digital games, it is noted that card and board games have also been used for game-based learning. While educational studies on games tailored for teaching individual disciplines are relatively common (Byusa, 2022; Platz,2022), interdisciplinary games are less well-explored.

 

We thus piloted an interdisciplinary board game “Charge” in AY2022/23 for students to revise knowledge learnt in HS2904 and reinforce how chemistry and economics are integrated in the EV ecosystem (Figure 1). Besides the cognitive aspects of learning, significant emphasis was placed on developing the appropriate game mechanics to make it fun and interactive. This promotes the affective domain of learning which increases students’ motivation to explore interdisciplinarity through play. We have chosen to use a physical board game instead of a digital game for our game-based approach due to its relative ease of implementation and prototyping. The board game was loosely based on “Monopoly,” with the winning player earning the most revenue by dominating the supply chain of BEVs through vertical integration and economies of scale. The pros and cons of different charging protocols and minerals used in battery production are incorporated into the game design by varying the timeout while charging and prices of different mines. Conceptual knowledge such as thermal runaway, multi-homing network, regulations, and policies are built into the “Chance” cards. The game was played in groups of 3 to 4 students during tutorial sessions in week 10 of the semester after most important concepts of the course were taught. Before the one-hour game session, students in the class completed a pre-game survey. Immediately after the game, the students completed a post-game survey with both Likert scale and qualitative questions.

 

Preliminary survey data indicated (Table 1) that after playing the game, students perceive that the objectives of revision of key concepts and integration of chemistry and economics have been met. In addition, most of the students perceive the game as fun/enjoyable and they understand key concepts better after an educational game. Hence our “Charge” board game has addressed both affective and cognitive aspects of learning and demonstrated the potential of interdisciplinary game-based learning. Further iterations of this interdisciplinary game will build off this foundation to explore using games for teaching the BEV ecosystem.

HECS2024-a82-Fig1

Figure 1. The interdisciplinary board game “Charge” specially designed for HS2904 showing a chance card, player pieces, and playing board.

 

 

Table 1
Survey results of students for “Charge” board game (N=93)

HECS2024-a82-Table1 

*A represents “Agree” and SA represents “Strongly agree. NA represents not applicable.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors extend their gratitude to Lua Juen Wei Eugene for his valuable contribution to the development of “Charge” board game.

REFERENCES

Buckley, P., & Doyle, E. (2016). Gamification and student motivation. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(6), 1162-1175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2014.964263

Byusa, E., Kampire, E., & Mwesigye, A. R. (2022). Game-based learning approach on students’ motivation and understanding of chemistry concepts: A systematic review of literature. Heliyon, 8(5), e09541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09541

Plass, J., Homer, B., Kinzer, C. (2015) Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist, 50, 258-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1122533

Platz, L (2022). Learning with serious games in economics education a systematic review of the effectiveness of game-based learning in upper secondary and higher education. International Journal of Educational Research, 115, 102301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102031

Ritzko, J.M., & Robinson, S. (2006) Using Games To Increase Active Learning. The Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 3(6), 45-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v3i6.1709

Xu, C., Wu, C.-F., Xu, D.-D., Lu, W.-Q., Wang, K.-Y. (2022). Challenges to Student Interdisciplinary Learning Effectiveness: An Empirical Case Study. Journal of Intelligence, 10, 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10040088

 

 

Creativity And Failure Tolerance: Puzzling Findings in Student Outcomes

fina Lighting Talks , , ,

Ameek Kaur1*, Thijs WILLEMS2, Qian HUANG2

1National University of Singapore (NUS), Business School
2Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities

*bizameek@nus.edu.sg

Kaur, A., Willems, T., & Huang, Q. (2024). Creativity And Failure Tolerance: Puzzling Findings in Student Outcomes [Lightning Talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-kaur-et-al

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

KEYWORDS

Failure tolerance, Creativity, Iterative Design, Pedagogy.

CATEGORY

Lightning Talk

We would like to share our study, which aimed to enhance students’ failure tolerance and creativity through modifications in course content and assessment rubrics. The rationale for these modifications was that exposing students to iterative design—learning by prototyping, testing, and refining—should increase failure tolerance and foster creativity (Jablokow et al., 2016). Through our course changes, we observed a significant increase in student creativity. However, students’ failure tolerance significantly dropped, presenting an intriguing paradox.

 

The study was conducted on a semester-long Design Thinking and Innovation course at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), with data from two consecutive cohorts of over 200 first-year undergraduate students. In round 1, we established baseline data on the course’s impact on students’ creativity and failure tolerance. Kaur et al. (2023) article provides a process perspective on the course as observed during round 1. In round 2, we modified the course content and assessment rubrics. For both cohorts, students completed pre- and post-course surveys, consisting of items from established scales – the Kirton Adaption Innovation (KAI) scale (Kirton, 1976) for measuring creativity, and the School Failure Tolerance (SFT) scale (Clifford, 1988) for measuring failure tolerance. The modified course included three case studies and three hands-on activities in the first six weeks to emphasize iterative design and encourage action-oriented prototyping. Additionally, creativity was added as an assessment component for all submissions, and students were asked to submit reflections with each assignment.

 

The survey results from round 1 and round 2 are summarized in Table 1 below. The results highlight that students’ creativity measured by ‘KAI-overall’ increased significantly in round 2. The KAI subscale on originality showed an increase in both round 1 and 2. On the other hand, students’ failure tolerance measured by ‘SFT-overall’ dropped significantly in round 2, whereas it showed a marginal increase in round 1. This counterintuitive change in students’ failure tolerance in round 2 is the puzzling part of our findings.

 

The results suggest that the increase in student creativity can potentially be attributed to both the course interventions and the new assessment rubrics. However, the drop in failure tolerance presents a complex issue. One possible explanation is that the added emphasis on creativity in the assessment rubrics created pressure to meet high standards, which may have led students to adopt safer approaches to avoid failure. Another interpretation is that students’ view of iteration evolved from a mindset of “keep trying persistently” to one of “let’s try a different approach.” While the SFT scale might register this as reduced failure tolerance (i.e., giving up), it can be seen positively from an innovation standpoint. This shift indicates that students became more inclined to discard less viable ideas and explore new ones, demonstrating improved creative problem-solving and adaptability.

 

This paradox highlights the challenge of balancing creativity and failure tolerance in educational settings. While promoting creativity, it is crucial to also foster an environment that supports resilience and encourages risk-taking. Future interventions might include regular messaging emphasizing the value of iterative design and learning from failure, as well as assignments that require students to document their exploration of ideas, encountered challenges, and lessons learned from failures.

 

This study contributes to the conference sub-theme of “opportunities from wellbeing.” By attempting to enhance resilience through course interventions, we aimed to improve students’ long-term well-being. Our findings highlight potential pitfalls and provide insights for future course design.

 

The lightning talk will include images of the course structure, students’ work, prototypes, and hands-on activities. Some of the images are attached in the appendix.

 Table 1
Results from Round 1 and Round 2. The sub-components of SFT and KAI are also stated.

A107-Table 1

REFERENCES

Clifford, M. M. (1988). Failure tolerance and academic risk-taking in ten- to twelve-year-old students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 58(1), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1988.tb00875.x

Jablokow, K. W., Zhu, X., Matson, J. V., & Kakde, A. N. (2016), Stimulating creativity in online learning environments through intelligent fast failure. 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. https://doi.org/10.18260/p.25879

Kaur, A., Huang, Q., Willems, T., Hayat, A. A., & Elara, M. R. (2023). Teaching design thinking to a large cohort, a process perspective. 2023 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (TALE). https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE56641.2023.10398367

Kirton, M. (1976). Adaptors and innovators: A description and measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 61(5), 622-629. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.61.5.622

APPENDIX

Course Structure:

A10-App 1

Cow-Drawing activity:

A107-App 2

Structure/Material prototyping and iteration:

A107-App 3

Prototype: App design

A107-App 4

Does the 3-2-1 Method Improve Student Engagement in Class? Using Generative AI to Analyse University Student Responses in a Large Biology Course

fina Lighting Talks , , , , , ,

MOWE Maxine A. D*, WU Jinlu, CHUA Siew Chin, and Nalini Puniamoorthy

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science (FOS), NUS

*maxinemowe@nus.edu.sg

Mowe, M. A. D., Wu, J., Chua, S. C., & Puniamoorthy, N. (2024). Does the 3-2-1 Method Improve Student Engagement in Class? Using Generative AI to Analyse University Student Responses in a Large Biology Course [Lightning Talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-mowe-et-al

 

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Generative AI

 

KEYWORDS

Engagement, Large Classes, Biology, Pedagogy, Writing, Generative AI

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talk

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Engaging large classes (>100 students) at the university level has been a long-standing challenge for educators across academic disciplines (Mulryan-Kyne, 2010) It is often difficult to provide a similar engagement experience to smaller classes (Singer-Freeman & Bastone, 2016). Ways to address the bigger problem would be to bring a learning community into the classroom, transform teaching assistants into mentors, develop a growth mindset, promote grit as well as create engaged learners (Singer-Freeman & Bastone, 2016). Specifically, the 3-2-1 method has been commonly used to facilitate engaged learning in younger students (Deliany et al., 2020). This 3-2-1 method prompts students to write down three key points they learned, two interesting facts about the lesson, and one question they still have. A crucial component of this method is to actively review student responses to assess if what the students learned was aligned with the intended learning outcomes and to consider their feedback in developing future lessons. We decided to adopt the 3-2-1 Method in a large evolutionary biology course LSM2017 at the National University of Singapore, to engage students and enhance their writing ability in a course that would otherwise not have tested this skill. The approach was modified to include three key learning points from the lesson, two interesting applications outside of the classroom, and one question they still have. This activity was carried out for five to ten minutes after one to two lectures using Poll Everywhere (Fig. 1).

A12-Fig 1

Figure 1. Large classroom challenges and 3-2-1 method with student output analysed using Generative AI.

 

The student responses were then analysed using generative AI to analyse the key learning points/questions that students asked and gather the responses into main themes of topics that they did not understand well so that these topics can be covered in the mid/end of semester review. Generative AI can also be used to focus on weak points in learning to better improve engagement throughout the semester (Fuller et al., 2024). The output can also be used to measure how well the learning outcomes are covered by each topic and thus, provide a direct measure of effectiveness of large class teaching. Using the 3-2-1 method also encourages students to write out responses that they would not normally have practice within this type of large class setting as most assessments are multiple choice or short answer tests. In this talk, the engagement levels (including behavior and cognitive engagement) of the students will be explained and analysed using Generative AI (the number of responses out of the total class size, responses variation over time, the word count of responses over time). Moving forward, this method can be applied to a variety of other biology-based courses with large class sizes and will be tested for its effectiveness at creating engaged learners and making large classes feel small.

 

REFERENCES

Deliany, Z., Erfan, E., & Bindarti, W. E. (2020). The effect of using 3-2-1 strategy on students’ reading comprehension achievement. SAGA: Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 1(2), 137-144. https://doi.org/10.21460/saga.2020.12.39

Fuller, K. A., Morbitzer, K. A., Zeeman, J. M., Persky, A. M., Savage, A. C., & McLaughlin, J. E. (2024). Exploring the use of ChatGPT to analyze student course evaluation comments. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 423. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05316-2

Mulryan-Kyne, C. (2010). Teaching large classes at college and university level: Challenges and opportunities. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(2), 175-185. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562511003620001

Singer-Freeman, K., & Bastone, L. (2016). Pedagogical choices make large classes feel small (NILOA occasional paper no.27). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED574481

An Overseas Community Project in Nepal: Redesigning Student Community Engagement and the Global Learning Experience

cdtlsd Poster , , , , ,

Sheena K Singh

Centre for Life Skills
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Temasek Polytechnic

sheena_kumari_singh@tp.edu.sg


Singh, S. (2024). An overseas community project in Nepal: Redesigning student community engagement and the global learning experience [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-sksingh/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Engaging Communities

KEYWORDS

Overseas community service, global competencies, service-learning, pedagogy, student development

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Proponents of experiential global service-learning programmes have long extolled its benefits for holistic student development, global exposure, and personal growth. Yet, there remains a dearth of research on its impact on host communities and student participants. In light of the critical and broadened global issues we face today, there is also a pressing need to relook traditional models of overseas community service which often fail to instill in students the complexities of significant socio-cultural and economic divides and are typically centred in fulfilling objectives related to self. Through a mixed methods case study approach, this research aims to explore the effectiveness of an overseas community programme in Nepal which integrates structured guided reflection, reciprocity and, opportunities for community and cultural immersion in enhancing students’ global competency, social consciousness, and empathy. The study seeks to garner greater insights into the pedagogies and principles that enable an understanding and appreciation of global issues, promote global learning and add value for the community.

REFERENCES

Chan, S. C. F., Ngai, G., Yau, J. H.-Y., & Kwan, P. K. (2021). Impact of international service-learning on students’ global citizenship and intercultural effectiveness development. International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 9(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.37333/001c.31305

Gegorová, A. B., Heinzová, Z., & Chovancová, K. (2016). The impact of service-learning on students’ key competencies. International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 4(1), 367-376.

Hawes, J. K., Johnson, R., Payne, L., Ley, C., Grady, C. A., Domenech, J., Evich, C. D., Kanach, A., Koeppen, A., Roe, K., Caprio, A., Puente Castro, J., LeMaster, P., & Blatchley, E. R. (2021). Global service-learning: A systematic review of principles and practices. International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 9(1), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.37333/001c.31383

Jones, R., Petrie, J., & Murrell, A. (2019). Developing global competency and ethical leadership in business students through global service learning. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 46, 91-92.

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