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To
produce a web-based educational game using
Quandary to enhance and support
pupils’ learning of the science concepts
involved |
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School: Bingley Grammar
School |
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Fellow: Chris Allen |
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Email: unavailable |
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Aims of the Project: |
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To produce a web-page
based educational game that can be uploaded
onto the internet or played on an intranet.
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To be of any value the game will have
to be actually used and valued by students.
This requires it to be user-friendly,
stimulating, fun and relevant. |
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An additional requirement is that
the basic framework of the game needs
to be adaptable / expandable in order
to incorporate new modules and/or changes
to existing ones; for instance: the
incorporation of Bell Topic material
introduced into syllabi this year. |
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Basic Game Plan: |
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The game would be developed
around a number of discrete districts within
a city and its outlying areas, each of which
contains a number of puzzles to solve. Completion
of all the puzzles (or a set number of) within
one district allows access to a new one by
collecting keys to a gate. Although basically
hierarchical, it may be possible that some
districts occupy the same level allowing free
movement between them. It will hopefully also
be possible to introduce some form of password
or level selection so that players do not
have to repeat levels when returning to the
game. Every district will have access to the
city’s library in which the player can
research answers to puzzles. |
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An Example Puzzle. |
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At KS3 students learn: |
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That energy
is released by respiration:
glucose + oxygen à carbon dioxide
+ water + energy |
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That oxygen is obtained from the lungs
and transported by the blood. |
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That bread is a good source of starch.
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At KS4 the students additionally
learn: |
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That glucose is produced
from the digestion of starch by amylase.
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That the blood follows a double circulation
system. |
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A KS4 problem, therefore, could be that
in order to progress from one area of the
city to another the user needs to obtain enough
energy to work a mechanism that will provide
them with a key. A visit to the district’s
library would elicit the information that
energy is best obtained by respiration. Further
research would reveal the details of the digestive
and circulation system. |
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| a. |
Obtaining Glucose: |
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Exploring the accessible area of the
city would allow the student to visit
shops / workshops in which they buy
and sell objects or perform tasks. Unfortunately,
nowhere can the student simply buy glucose.
They can, however, buy bread and amylase
and would also find a digestion workshop
in which these could be combined to
produce glucose. (Purchase of the wrong
objects, such as a cup of tea or protease
enzyme would not allow the acquisition
of glucose. |
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| b. |
Obtaining Oxygen: |
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One area of the city is the circulation
district in which all the streets are
named after major parts of the circulation
system. Navigating the streets in the
correct order allows the student to
enter a shop to purchase oxygen. Similarly
the student then has to navigate out
of the district by the correct route
to hold on to the oxygen. |
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Obtaining Energy: |
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Once both glucose and
oxygen have been obtained the player
then enters a final workshop (e.g. a
Gym) in which they obtain sufficient
energy to go and get the key. |
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Variations: |
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A KS3 version could more
simply consist of a research element
in the library followed by an exploration
of the city to locate the necessary
oxygen, glucose, and the workshop in
which to combine them. |
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An AS version could include control
of pH and temperature, the generation
of ATP rather than simply “energy”
and, perhaps, the location of the correct
source of enzyme (amylase only being
produced by the salivary glands and
pancreas.) |
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Software: |
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I intend to build the game using Quandary,
a maze engine produced by Half-baked Software
(who also produce the Hot Potatoes suite with
which I am already well familiar). Quandary
allows the easy creation of interlinked web
pages and is remarkably adaptable in terms
of the ability to insert graphics, animation,
video and sound within the pages. It also
contains simple but effective transaction
and exclusion filters (keys). |
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Milestones: |
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| 1. |
To design
sufficient high quality puzzles from
which to: |
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Create a fully functioning “district”
of the city. (Principal milestone)
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Give a clear indication of how
separate districts could link
together on a hierarchical and
lateral level |
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| 2. |
To use
the puzzles developed above to: |
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Develop a paper plan of the
district, incorporating some of
the puzzles above. (Principal
milestone) |
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Incorporate within the plan
sufficient room for the addition
of puzzles developed later. |
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Show the lateral and hierarchical
nature of district connections.* |
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| 3. |
To program
the maps and puzzles using Quandary
to produce: |
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A fully functioning district
(Principal milestone) |
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A hierarchical link to another
set of puzzles. |
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A lateral district to that forming
the principal milestone. |
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Success Criteria: |
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Essential: To achieve all three of
the principal milestones above. (Point
1 in the diagram) |
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Preferable: To have achieved a hierarchical
link. (Point 2 in the diagram.) |
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Even more preferable: to achieve one
or more lateral links. |
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Future developments: |
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ll developed districts should undergo
constant improval: better graphics,
new puzzles etc. |
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Further hierarchical districts to
be added (e.g. KS3, AS A2) |
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