RACING ACADEMY: an evaluation of an online racing car simulation game for supporting students learni

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RACING ACADEMY an evaluation of an online
racing car simulation game for supporting
students learning of engineering and science

• Richard Joiner, Ioanna Iacovides, Martin Owen,
  Jos Darling, Andy Diament, Ben Drew, John
  Dudley, Carl Gavin Stephen Clibbery

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Introduction

• James Paul Gee argues that computer games are
  little learning engines
• They are carefully designed to be learnt through
  practice and active play
• Affinity groups of players with common
  interests in specific titles or genres coalesce
  informally around games.
• Often setting up online games forums

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Introduction

• Discussing and swapping ideas about how to play
  the games
• Through this they are accessing knowledge about
  the games, series of games or genres.
• Thus computer games can be seen as a dynamic
  social learning system.

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Introduction

• Racing Academy was developed with the ultimate
  aim of developing such an online game community
• Based not on fictional qualities, but on a
  real-time vehicle dynamics simulation system.
• Based on real physics

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Introduction

• Capable of recreating the experience of driving a
  racing car.
• Modelling how they behave and react.
• The games engine has the capacity to allow users
  to manipulate over 1,000 parameters.
• To optimise the cars performance the players must
  engage with the underlying physics

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Introduction

• The aim of the project was to evaluate whether
  Racing Academy could support learning science and
  engineering.
• Embedded in their learning

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Method

• AS/A2 Physics level students (n 13)
• IMI Nationals Motor Vehicle Engineering (n 15)
• BTEC Motor vehicle engineering (n 18)
• 1st year introduction to engineering UG course (n
  161)
• 3rd year motor vehicle UG course (n36)

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Method

• Each team had their own private discussion forum,
  where they could discuss how best to set up their
  car.
• Engineering support was provided through an open
  discussion forum
• The project lasted two weeks
• At the end of two weeks there was a grand final.

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Method

• There was a pre and post-test
• We also asked the students how motivating Racing
  Academy was in the context of their course.
• The students kept a learning diary and there were
  focus groups afterwards.

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Results

• AS/A2 physics an improvement of 35
• IMI Nationals Motor Vehicle Engineering an
  improvement of 6
• BTEC Motor vehicle engineering an improvement of
  23
• 1st year ug course an improvement of 19
• 3rd year ug course an improvement of 44

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Results

• The students reported
• enjoyed playing Racing Academy,
• felt competent doing so,
• put effort into the task
• thought it was valuable experience

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Discussion

• Racing Academy was a success in this context
• Students did learn after playing with racing
  academy
• Students found it motivating

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Discussion

• However there were some difficulties which could
  be improved
• Relevance to the unit
• More support with resources
• Improvements in the software
• Interesting issues with motivation