CPATH-1: Revitalizing Computing Education through Community-Based Video Game Development Projects

这个CPATH项目使用免费的开源库和工具，以学生为中心，以社区为基础的视频游戏开发项目，名为Mythic，目的是重振对计算研究的兴趣。Mythic项目是以学生为中心的，因为学生定义项目目标；它是以社区为基础的，因为来自不同机构的学生，从高中到社区学院再到大学，为共同项目的发展做出贡献。该项目承诺通过让学生参与有意义和愉快的工作活动，从而通过使用软件开发工具、使用软件库和使用计算概念来更好地掌握计算概念，从而帮助重振计算教育。项目调查人员还与当地游戏开发公司建立了实习机会，以提高与学生的相关性，并帮助教师调整学习成果，以满足行业需求。智力上的优势在于强大的协作团队，他们在游戏开发和在课堂环境中构建真正的软件方面具有丰富的经验。这个项目有一个很好的概念基础，可以在电子游戏开发和计算机教育方面带来新的研究成果。更广泛的影响包括吸引更多样化的学生群体进入计算机领域。当地社区进入电子游戏行业的学生将成为高中和大学学生的榜样。同样，在电子游戏行业之外从事计算机工作的学生也会向年轻的学生以及他们的父母和老师证明，年轻时专注于电子游戏开发可以培养出日后职业生涯所需的技能。黑人和西班牙裔学生占该校招生人数的50%以上。因此，该项目有助于扩大这些代表性不足的群体在攻读计算机学科学位方面的参与。所产生的相关学习材料可以作为其他机构的资源和合作研究的基础。该项目活动应向其他部门和机构展示以学生为中心、以社区为基础的电子游戏开发项目的价值，以培养从高中到大学的学生对计算思维的兴趣和掌握。

This CPATH project uses free open source libraries and tools for a student-centered,community-based video game development project called Mythic for the purpose of revitalizing interest in computing studies. The Mythic project is student centered in the sense that students define project goals, and it is community-based in the sense that students from different institutions, ranging from high school to community college to university, contribute to the development of a common project. The project promises to help revitalize computing education by engaging students in meaningful and enjoyable work activities that lead to greater mastery of computing concepts through the use of software development tools, the use of software libraries, and the use of computing concepts. Project investigators are also establishing internships with local game development companies to increase the relevance to students and assist faculty in aligning learning outcomes to meet the needs of industry.The intellectual merit lies in the strong collaborative team with significant experience in game development and building real software in class settings. The project has an excellent conceptual foundation that could lead to new research findings in both video game development as well as in computing education.The broader impacts involve the potential to attract a more diverse student population to computing fields. Students from the local community who go into the video game industry will serve as role models for younger students at the high school and college levels. Similarly, students going into computing jobs outside the video game industry will also demonstrate to younger students as well as their parents and teachers that focusing on video game development when young can result in the development of skills needed for rewarding careers later in life. Black and Hispanic students account for more than 50% of enrollments at the lead institution. Thus, the project helps to broaden the participation of these underrepresented groups in pursuing degrees in computing disciplines. The associated learning materials that are produced can serve as a resource for other institutions and as a foundation for collaborative research. This project activity should demonstrate to other departments and institutions the value of student-centered, community-based video game development projects to cultivate interest in and mastery of computational thinking in students from high school through university.