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CSDT: BeadLoom Game Acey Boyce UNC Charlotte We Love Virtual Bead Loom Our most successful CSDT Extremely effective at teaching Cartesian Coordinates and Geometry Free play results in very creative products Free Play Results Free Play Results Free Play Results Problem
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CSDT:BeadLoom Game Acey Boyce UNC Charlotte
We Love Virtual Bead Loom • Our most successful CSDT • Extremely effective at teaching Cartesian Coordinates and Geometry • Free play results in very creative products
Problem • Students tend to use “easiest” tools available in a free play environment • Very rarely utilize advanced tools to create patterns • Avoids learning iteration
Questions • How can we “force” students to use advanced tools and think in terms of optimization? • How can we do that AND still allow the kids to have fun?
Solution • Convert the VBL into a puzzle game!
The Game • Given a goal image try to create that image in the fewest moves possible • Each time a draw button is clicked the move count goes up by 1
The Game • Ideal solutions require advanced usage of iterative tools and painters algorithm (Layering) • Players are awarded medals based on performance and high scores are maintained
What I Have Done • Created over 30 puzzles and found ideal solution to each
What I Have Done • Puzzles range from traditional to modern
What I Have Done • Created a system to display puzzles and check student work against goal • Implemented the system for local score keeping, puzzle unlocking, and medal earning • Developed tutorial puzzles to introduce players to each tool
Trial By Fire • Used game at 2 Summer Camps • Camp 1: 20 Middle Schoolers • Camp 2: 18 High Schoolers • Each group played game for about 30 minutes a day for 4 days in a competitive setting
Results • Kids had fun! • Fought Tooth and Nail to win each contest • Three High Schoolers even asked for a copy of the game to play with at home
Results • Middle Schoolers (Aided in finding many bugs): • Average Rating: 3.74 out of 5 • High Schoolers (90% of bugs removed): • Average Fun Rating: 4.27 out of 5 • Average Educational Rating: 4.27 • Average Overall Rating: 4.33
What they learned • Sadly the Pre/Post Test for middle school camp did not focus on game • Students did however seem to have a deeper understanding of painters algorithm and iteration
What they learned • Had to tell students not to use iteration for some puzzles • Complexity of Free Play designs went up as puzzle difficulty increased • According to game logs students made fewer errors as week progressed
What they learned • High School Pre/Post Test divided into 3 sections: • Cartesian Coordinates • Iteration • Painter’s Algorithm
What they learned • Iteration Pre Test Average: • 75.3% • Iteration Post Test Average: • 84.0% (8.7% Increase) • Painters Pre Test Average: • 33.3% • Painters Post Test Average: • 52.8% (18.5% Increase)
Painters Note* • I believe in future testing this will be even higher increase • The Pre Test question did not print correctly
Future Work • Addition of a Timer • Addition of a multiplayer high score table • Creation and implementations of more puzzles
Future Research • What makes a game? • What makes a game fun? • Use three versions of game • Bare Bones: Just Scoring • Competitive: High Score Table • Advanced: Customizable User Interactions
In Closing • Thank you for creating CSDTs and providing me the inspiration for this game • It has lead to me accomplishing a major goal in life: Kids enjoying and asking to play a game I created
