FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS: REGAINING INTEREST IN STUDIES THROUGH VIDEO GAMES

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 27 AUGUST 2014 FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS: REGAINING INTEREST IN STUDIES THROUGH VIDEO GAMES 12 students from ITE College West have created a 3D Game, Red Sentinels, for their fellow students as part of the College s 'Hands-on, Minds-on and Hearts-on approach to education. A cyber-crime mystery game, the game is the College s first foray into game based learning and is used as part of its CISCO Networking module. After finding a number of students disengaged with their Networking module due to the highly technical and dry material, ITE College West lecturers began researching approaches to game-based learning to find ways of re-engaging students. The team, led by Section Head Mr Teh Tuan Ann, looked for a solution that would be hands-on, incorporate ICT and emotionally connect students to their learning. When I first started this project, the main objective of this is to look at how we can harness technology to make learning more effective and authentic so that classes are more fun and engaging explained Mr Teh. They found 3DHive, an MOE-approved platform that enabled teachers and students to make their own 3D games without any knowledge of coding. With consultants from Playware Studios, ITE College West decided to adopt a game authorship mode to pave their way into game-based learning. The magnitude of the project excited Mr Siddharth Jain, Creative Director of Playware Studios, We at Playware are incredibly excited by what the ITE students have achieved with this project. To our knowledge, this is easily amongst the longest collaborative learning games developed (clocking in at over 16 hours of role-playing narrative) by students for students anywhere in the world. That this milestone, for promoting maker-culture in Singapore, is being incorporated into their core-curriculum by ITE College West, for a highly technical course, only adds to its sheer awesomeness. The 12 Higher Nitec students were chosen as they had completed the course the previous year. Based on their experiences with the module and guided by ITE lecturers and Playware Studios designers, they created episodes in the game that involved multiple modes of interaction such as movements using Microsoft s Kinect, physical exhibits and case files. The immersive experience was further enhanced by I-Room, ITE s new Classroom of the Future. Developed primarily as a collaborative learning space, it contains a blend of mixed and multi-modal experiences that scaffold authentic immersive inquiry-based. The I-room allows students to develop problem-solving skills with each other; strengthening 21 st century skills. To share their experiences with game-based learning, ITE College West is organising a game-based learning symposium and workshop on 29 August 2014; centred around the theme, Supporting Blended Learning in the Classroom using Information & Communication Technology (ICT). The symposium will include a sharing session by ITE lecturers on their experience with creating the Red Sentinels game, keynote speeches by researchers in the field of game-based learning and the launch of ITE College West s new Classroom of the Future, i-room.

2 For media invites to the event, photos or further queries, please contact: Playware Studios Asia - Srividya Maliwal: smaliwal@playwarestudios.com ITE Shalini V: shalini_v@ite.edu.sg

3 BIOGRAPHY OF GAME BASED LEARNING SYMPOSIUM & WORKSHOP SPEAKERS Dr. Jan Ian, NIE Research Scientist Topic: Game-Based Learning: Expectation, Challenge and Motivation Dr. Jan is currently a Research Scientist at the Learning Sciences Lab, National Institute of Education, Singapore. As a research convenor under the Office of Education Research, he leads research initiatives in Play/Game-based Learning for 21 st century teaching and learning innovations. Currently, he is leading a research team to design games that engage players in collaborative dialogic argumentation (aka CoDA games) for problem-solving. He also leads a team that studies teachers learning program design expertise around games. To bridge research and practices, he undertakes design-based research and qualitative research as major tools for inquiry about learning with games. Dr. Jan is interested in understanding how media (both digital and traditional) shape thinking, identity, society and culture. He brings such understanding to the design of learning tools, activities and learning ecology to foster higher order thinking skills and inquiry learning. In the past decade he worked with MIT and Harvard on Handheld Augmented Reality Games for Learning, participated in research projects funded by US Ministry of Education and MacArthur Foundation and the University of Wisconsin System. He is the designer of Mad City Mystery (a handheld game for scientific argumentation), Saving Lake Wingra (a ten-day role-playing simulation program for social studies), Green City Blues (a CoDA board game) and has co-designed several mobile augmented reality games for historical thinking and place-based inquiries. Mr Raymond Koh, ITE Lecturer Topic: Design and Learning Opportunities in Game-Based New Media Mr Raymond was a research staff at the Keio-NUS Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments (CUTE) Center (2009 to 2013), an international research laboratory set up by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Keio University in Yokohama, Japan and funded by the Media Development Authority of Singapore. He was also jointly appointed in NUS in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering during the interim, and a graduate scholar of the Division of Industrial Design in the Master of Arts in Industrial Design (Research) programme. His areas of interactive and digital media research interests include User Experience, Design, Augmented Reality and Games. He previously read at the School of Film and Media Studies (Diploma w/merit in Film, Sound and Video, and Shaw Foundation Silver Medalist, 2001) in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. While working at the Singapore Armed Forces' Armour Simulation Centre for his national service, he explored the use of Commercial 3D Gaming Technologies for Learning (Military Training) with the Defence Science and Technology Agency. In 2005, he received the I.T. Youth Award (Finalist) of the national Information Technology Leader Awards from the

4 Singapore Computer Society (SCS), an event supported by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, for his publicized contribution to the Singapore Army. Raymond was based in New Zealand thereafter for numerous years, having worked in the 3D animation industry there. He became a New Zealand Permanent Resident in February 2007 as a Skilled Migrant in the Creative Cluster. In 2008, he completed his Bachelor of Design (Digital Design) degree at the School of Art and Design, Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies in Auckland University of Technology. He is currently a Lecturer in Games Design and Development in the School of Electronics and Info-Comm Technology, ITE College Central (Singapore), and an Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Computing and Information Systems in the University of Tasmania (Australia). Ms Chan Ying Hui and Mr Ong Chao Xiang Topic: Game Based Learning Curriculum Ms Chan Ying Hui Ms Chan Ying Hui, Master in Electrical Engineering, is currently a lecturer from Mobile Systems & Services, School of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology, ITE College West. She has been in the education field for more than 4 years and has a strong passion for pedagogy, teaching and learning. She received 2014 ITE College West Staff Appreciation Award - Individual Award (Academic Excellence). Her areas of research interests include computer vision and image processing. She has diverse experience in electronics, computer software engineering, software product development & testing in line with Quality Management System, and process control & instrumentation. Ms Chan has working experience in Research & Development, semiconductor, medical instrument and electronics engineering industries, before joining ITE. Ms Chan has several publications in international conferences. The most recent publication, Developing a Game-Based Curriculum in Technical Education for Learning was published at Proceedings of the International Mobile Learning Festival, June 2-4, 2014, Bali, Indonesia. Mr Ong Chao Xiang Mr Ong Chao Xiang graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons with SIM University Gold Award) in Mathemetics from SIM University. He has taught in Electronics, School of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology, ITE College West for more than 5 years. Mr Ong is one of the game designers for iroom 3D games and has strong passion for game-based learning. He believes that it can be a tool to motivate ITE student towards constructive learning. He has experience in avionics and specializes in Computer Networking and programming. He is the assistant coach for three series of World Skills Singapore and ASEAN Skills Competition in Electronics category. He also supervised and trained students in projects like

5 upgrading of the Card Reader in ITE College East in 2011 and also projects in collaboration with Wildlife Reserve Singapore, which won an award in Green Wave Competition. Mr Ong has published paper locally in ITE teacher s conference in 2011 and He is also the author for the paper Effectiveness of Gamification in Vocational Training Education which has been selected to be published in the European Conference Game Base Learning 2014.