•   When: Thursday, February 17, 2022 from 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM
•   Speakers: Edward Melcer, PhD
•   Location: ZOOM only
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Abstract:

Games offer enormous potential to enhance the delivery of educational content. However, the full implications of certain design decisions within educational games are not always fully understood. In this talk, I will discuss two educational game research projects exploring the benefits of utilizing interactive narrative for training research ethics and employing embodiment through emerging technologies (e.g., AR, VR, wearables, tangibles, and so forth) to enhance STEM-focused educational games. These works will highlight how interactive narrative games can improve engagement, knowledge, attitudes, and moral reasoning skills. They will also show how the efficacy of an educational programming game can be improved through the use of collaboration and embodied interaction in the form of tangible programming blocks. Finally, I will conclude with a discussion of future directions for this work.

Bio:

Dr. Edward Melcer is an independent game developer, director of the ALT Games Lab, and Assistant Professor in the UCSC Department of Computational Media. His primary teaching and research interests are at the intersection of games, human-computer interaction, and learning science, where he explores the usage of novel gameplay mechanics to enhance learning outcomes in educational games. His recent research in the areas of interactive narrative, tangibles, and embodiment for educational games have received multiple paper awards at CHI, CHI PLAY, and FDG. Dr. Melcer’s games have similarly won awards and been featured in a number of premiere venues such as IndieCade, IndieCade East, Come Out & Play, and the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge.