Press A to Start!Game Design as an Engagement Strategy for Teaching Computer Science

What’s the Idea? Imagine that you are a high school

student who: Is intimidated by math Thinks that computers are for

eggheads Has little personal experience with

computers Thinks she “sucks at computer stuff”

Which of the following assignments would interest you more?

A) Traditional CS 1 Assignment:

Write a program that adds up the squares and cubes of integers from 1 to N, where N is entered by the user: Upper Limit: 5 The sum of Squares is 55 The sum of Cubes is 225

Use just one loop that generates the integers.

Add these formulas to your program and print out their results as well as that of the explicit summations.

B) Game Design Project: Create a video game or interactive story,

alone or with one partner. Your product must have:

Conditional logic and broadcast events Variables and mathematical operators Backgrounds, sprites, and sound effects Movement and collision/obstacle

detection Originality and creativity!

Guiding Questions:

Can video game design be used to teach core computer science concepts effectively?

Can game design projects help attract and retain underrepresented students more effectively than traditional CS curricula?

Audience:

Teachers of high school computer science:

Developing curricula for newly created CS programs

Wanting to expand diversity of students in current programs

Interested in new engagement strategies for teaching core CS concepts

Challenge: Traditional computer science programs

attract a limited demographic audience

Computer fluency is becoming an entry requirement for many professions!

Lack of computer science skills disenfranchises underrepresented groups from lucrative and expanding job markets, higher education tracks

Research Shows: Even students who don’t like to play video

games often enjoy actually making games, especially if it’s a partner project.

Students can learn core programming concepts through exploratory projects such as digital interactive story-telling and game design.

Introducing CS through syntax-light languages such as Scratch is less intimidating and builds confidence.

Scratch: Drag-and-Drop Logic

Project: Introduction to Computer Science lesson

plan: Video game design project

requirements and rubric Training assignments in Scratch with

demos Block lesson plan including suggested

interventions, pacing, and weekly reflections

Exemplar games demonstrating concepts and requirements

Examples of student work

Piloting the Project: The “alpha group”-- 18 boys, 50% ELL (two

moved to continuation school during project)

Started with small, instructional assignments to familiarize them with coding environment

Surveyed classic arcade games as a “hook” and to manage expectations

Threw them into the game project quickly

Practice project: Variables and Conditions

Results of Pilot: Most students were very engaged and

enthusiastic about project and results.

Students effectively applied core computer science concepts to their designs.

Students are carrying the experience forward into easier understanding of more complex programming languages.

Lessons Learned:

Provide rubric, exemplars, and demo code earlier in project cycle

Formalize development process and higher accountability for weekly progress

More structure is needed to support lower level students through the development process

Desired Outcomes & Future Goals:

Sequence, rubrics, requirements prepared and fine-tuned for next year’s “beta” group

Effective introduction of CS concepts

Increase and sustain interest and enrollment of previously under-represented students

Develop a culture of inclusion, cooperation, and creativity in a new CS program

Demonstrations:

1. Scratch Development Environment:Intro to Scratch Practice project

2. Student Work Samples

Student Response 1:

“I had fun working with scratch. I found it really easy once you understand what everything you’re doing. I was easy enough that my 7 year old brother could understand scratch’s syntax. Even though scratch was easy it really helped me understand the logic and syntax of programming. While I was making my game I had fun trying to find how to do different stuff in scratch. It was not too hard to find and fix bugs. In my opinion scratch was a good use of time.”

-Emmanuel

Student Response 2:

“I think this project should definitely be repeated next year or presented to sophomores and push the whole curriculum back a year so that when they are seniors they are pros. This project was definitely lots of fun and I enjoyed it because there was lots of freedom in our project ideas. I think for being the first year that this unit has taken place; it went very smoothly. It was definitely better than last year. I learned not just how to code but more of how to do computer logic and plan different things.”

-George

Student Response 3:

“I had really fun with this project. I learn a lot of stuff of programing a game. When Gustavo and I were programing the game but it really suck so I started out fresh making the game. Michael Jackson was going to be in the game but there were a lot of problems of cropping him so I change the character to evil Ryu. I learn a lot from scratch and I think I’m going to make another game. Our game is so fun that im going to play it right now.”

-Marcos

Student Response 4:

“I really enjoyed this project. I didn't learn a lot but what I did learn is useful. This was a very productive project. It was a bit challenging and frustrating but in the end I am proud of what we accomplished.”

-Fernando