Using Game Design Mechanics as Metaphors to Enhance Learning of Introductory Programming Concepts

该项目解决了国家的迫切需求，让所有年龄段的人参与计算思维，并帮助他们通过独特的创新方法学习基本的计算机科学概念，即结构化的游戏中计算机程序编码。研究人员将探索一款名为May's Journey的3D益智游戏的设计和开发，在该游戏中，玩家通过使用游戏的伪代码来操纵游戏对象来解决环境迷宫。该游戏旨在教授计算机编程的入门但基础概念，包括抽象，模块化，可重用性和调试，让玩家专注于逻辑和概念，同时要求他们用为新手设计的简化编程语言键入简单的指令。这个项目中的游戏设计不同于当今基于块的编程学习方法，这些方法通常与实际的计算机代码相距甚远，也不同于专业编程语言，这些语言对于新手来说太复杂了。游戏及其嵌入式编程语言学习被设计为响应学习者在整个游戏中的进展，从伪代码过渡到嵌入式编程语言本身。用于调试的错误消息也被设计为适应玩家在游戏中的行为。利用从玩游戏的人那里收集的大量日志数据，研究人员可以研究人们如何学习计算机编程。这些知识可以促进对计算机编程教育中学习过程的理解。此外，这项工作强调使用游戏作为非正式的学习环境，因为它们是可访问的和有趣的，吸引了不同年龄组的许多学习者的注意力和保留，有可能改变不同人群对计算机编程的态度。该项目由STEM + Computing（STEM+C）计划共同资助，该计划支持研究和开发，以了解STEM学习中计算和计算思维的整合，以及推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划，该计划资助创新研究，该项目的总体战略是加强非正式环境中的学习。评估方法，包括调查，专家对学习者在游戏中开发的计算机代码的评论，以及访谈，被用来衡量学习者的参与和学习。在探索学习的过程中，研究人员的目标是了解玩家如何通过游戏建立内隐的计算机科学知识，以及这种游戏如何与他们在外部迁移任务中的表现相关。该项目将回答以下三个研究问题：（1）观察者能否可靠地检测和标记游戏模式，这些模式提供了学习或误解的证据，这些错误概念涉及四个计算机科学结构-抽象，模块化，调试和语义-学习者在玩May's Journey时表现出来的？(2)学习者对这些计算机科学结构的内隐知识是如何随着时间的推移而变化的？这些模式是否因性别和先前的编程经验而异？(3)内隐学习方法和CS概念转移之间是否有很强的相关性：模块化、调试、语义和抽象？这些相关性在游戏的各个元素之间是如何变化的？这项工作将产生几个结果：游戏设计隐喻测试他们的学习和参与价值，可以抽象和嵌入不同的游戏。这个项目还将贡献模式，并理解人们如何使用抽象，模块化，调试和语义的概念来学习和解决问题。这些成果将导致学习科学知识的进步，以及丰富STEM学习的教育游戏的设计，特别是在编程和计算思维方面。此外，该项目将通过包括全国女孩合作项目在内的伙伴组织吸引女性参与者和服务不足的人群。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project tackles the urgent needs of the nation to engage people of all ages in computational thinking and help them learn basic computer science concepts with a unique and innovative approach of structured in-game computer program coding. Researchers will explore the design and development of a 3D puzzle-based game, called May's Journey, in which players solve an environmental maze by using the game's pseudo code to manipulate game objects. The game is designed to teach introductory but foundational concepts of computer programming including abstraction, modularity, reusability, and debugging by focusing players on logic and concepts while asking them to type simple instructions in a simplified programming language designed for novices. The game design in this project differs from today's block-based programming learning approaches that are often too far from actual computer code, and also differs from professional programming languages which are too complex for novices. The game and its embedded programming language learning are designed to be responsive to the progress of the learner throughout the game, transitioning from pseudo code to the embedded programming language itself. Error messages for debugging are also designed to be adaptive to players' behavior in the game. Using extensive log data collected from people playing the game, researchers can study how people learn computer programming. Such knowledge can advance understanding of the learning processes in computer programming education. Additionally, this work emphasizes the use of games as informal learning environments as they are accessible and fun, drawing attention and retention of many learners of different age groups with the potential to change attitudes towards computer programming across different populations. This project is co-funded by the STEM + Computing (STEM+C) program that supports research and development to understand the integration of computing and computational thinking in STEM learning, and the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program that funds innovative research, approaches and resources for use in a variety of settings with its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments.The project's formative and summative evaluation methods, including surveys, expert reviews of learners' computer code developed in the game, and interviews, are used to gauge learners' engagement as well as learning. In exploring learning, researchers aim to understand how players build implicit computer science knowledge through gameplay and how that gameplay relates to their performance on external transfer tasks. The project will answer the following three research questions: (1) Can observers reliably detect and label patterns of gameplay that provide evidence of learning or misconceptions regarding the four computer science constructs - abstraction, modularity, debugging and semantics - that learners exhibit playing May's Journey? (2) How does learner's implicit knowledge of these computer science constructs change over time and do those patterns vary by gender and prior programming experiences? (3) Is there a strong correlation between implicit learning measures and transfer of CS concepts: modularity, debugging, semantics, and abstraction? How do these correlations vary across elements of the game? This work will result in several outcomes: game design metaphors tested for their learning and engagement value that can be abstracted and embedded in different games. This project will also contribute patterns and an understanding of how people learn and engage in problem solving using concepts of abstraction, modularity, debugging and semantics. These outcomes will lead to advancement in knowledge in the learning sciences as well as the design of educational games that enrich STEM learning, particularly in programming and computational thinking. In addition, this project will engage female participants and underserved populations through partnering organizations including National Girls Collaborative project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.