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Contents

1. Executive summary
2. Context, concept and overview of development
3. Prototype development
4. 3D version of Astroversity trialled in school
5. Final study
6. Results and analysis
7. Key findings
8. Recommendations for next stage development
9. References


"[F]un is not a property of software, but a relationship between the software and the user's goals at that moment"

(Steve Draper: Analysing Fun as a Candidate Software Requirement, Personal Technologies, 3, 3, pp117-122 1999)


Transcript conventions:
{} - simultaneously being spoken
[] - actions occurring in parallel to speech


1. Executive summary

Astroversity is a game for students aged 12 to 14 played in groups of three. It is designed to give the students an opportunity to develop collaborative and scientific enquiry skills. It does not teach these skills, but the task is structured so that an individual cannot complete it in one attempt nor is it easy to solve by memory alone. The most effective solution requires three students to work together, systematically recording data and coming to a shared solution.


1.1 The prototype development process

The project was developed iteratively. The International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC) and Futurelab developed a puzzle that was trialled by students on paper. Once it was agreed that the task was of suitable difficulty and could be made engaging ICDC created a two-dimensional version in Director. In an iterative process this was tested and revised with observations and feedback from the students used to refine the text and format. These findings were used to create a three-dimensional version, which again was iteratively revised. Finally, this was tested within a classroom context over a period of three weeks.

The details of the various stages can be found in Table 1.

Prototype stage	Dates	Sample	Participants
Concept development	August 2003		ICDC, Futurelab
Paper prototype (PP1)	Two trials - September 2003	Bedminster Down Secondary School	6 students: 3 in Year 8 and 3 in Year 9
2D prototype (1)	Two trials - October 2003	Bedminster Down Secondary School	6 students: 3 in Year 8 and 3 in Year 9
2D prototype (2)	Three trials - October 2003	Bedminster Down Secondary School	9 students: 6 in Year 8 and 3 in Year 10
		Futurelab	3 staff
Review of toxins	October 2003		School of Chemistry in the University of Bristol, Futurelab
Story development	November-December 2003	Holly Lodge School	ICDC and students
2D prototype (3)	Two trials - December 2003	John Cabot City Technical College	6 students in Year 9
		Futurelab	6 staff
3D prototype (1)	One trial - January 2004	John Cabot City Technical College	Year 8: 2 groups of 3 girls, 4 groups of 3 boys, 1 boy working with 2 teachers
3D prototype (2)	Two trials - May 2004	Cotham Secondary School	2 Year 9 boys; 4 Year 9 boys and 1 girl
3D prototype - final trials	Three trials - June/July 2004	Monks Park	Year 9: 8 girls, 10 boys (in 6 groups)

Table 1: Summary of activities

In addition to these formal trials Futurelab sent comments on the Astroversity software to ICDC after each release.


1.2 Non-technical prototype description

The final prototype is a game for three 13-15 year-old students playing on a computer network. In the scenario they are students at the Astroversity, an orbiting space academy. They are currently undergoing search and rescue training, ie learning how to control a probe, infer information from sensors, and plot routes for a rescue vehicle. During this exercise an alien vessel crashes into the Astroversity releasing three toxic substances into the atmosphere. Bloppo causes brain swelling and eventual explosion. Moob increases the heart rate leading to a cardiac arrest. In contrast, inhaling gunk causes liquids to collect in the lungs leading to death by drowning. The robot headmaster instructs them to form groups of three and rescue their peers on various levels of the academy.

The most efficient way to rescue the casualties is to work together to identify a strategy for recording data, record this accurately, and in the later levels divide the sensors among their individual probes to cope with multiple toxins. Communication skills are enhanced as they must explain their findings, route suggestions and theories about toxicity levels and the relationships between the toxins to each other. They are aided by their chosen robotic tutors who offer suggestions and question them on strategy, use of data, and their performance as a group.

The groups can repeat the rescues in order to effectively save the casualty.


1.3 Key innovations of Astroversity project

The following aspects of the experience are novel in games for learning:

• the use of multiple methods of representation, requiring students to switch between a virtual online world and a paper-based representation which they create as a consequence of exploring this world
• the requirement that team members do not simply work together by fulfilling different roles in the same task, but have to contribute information to a single activity with a collective outcome
• the explicit encouragement of students to self-assess and reflect on the skills being developed within the task.

• students need a structured environment when practicing group skills or performing a task requiring scientific enquiry as these are not instinctive skills
• self-assessment is not performed reliably when not mediated by an external person
• well designed games for learning can be motivating and engaging, shown by more students turning up for the final session with the three-dimensional than the first despite the fact it was end of term.