Why not to pack and distribute Serious Games as standard compliant learning objects? How to use e-learning standards with Serious Games? Learning Analytics with Experience API (previos TIN CAN API) Presentation done at the Keynote ELSE 2013 conference (Bucharest, Romania)

1. Baltasar Fernandez Manjon
Complutense University of Madrid
Serious games, e-learning and standards
balta@fdi.ucm.esELSE conference, Bucharest
2013

2. 1/22
Context: e-UCM research group
 E-learning , educational
technologies
 15 researchers
 Specialized in serious games
 National and EU projects
 SG in the medical domain
 www.e-ucm.es

3. 2/22
Serious games, e-learning and standards?
 Serious Games have probed to be educationally
effective in several domains
 Medicine, business, training
 But still a limited number of sucess cases
 Open issues
 Cost
 Scalability
 Deployment in real environment (e.g. schools)
 Integration into the curriculum
 ……..

4. 3/22
Serious games, e-learning and standards?
 Some of the issues are common to other
educational content
 Why not to pack and distribute SG as
standard compliant learning objects?
 Many benefits
 Integrate SG into already existing e-learning
infrastructure (LMS or VLE)
 Reusability, Interoperability ….
 How to use e-learning standards with Serious
Games?

5. 4/22
eAdventure
 Ease the development of serious games and game-like
simulation
 Low cost, high reusability
 Use photos and videos for graphical assets
 Participation of educators in the development process
 No programming required
 Specific educational features (e.g. assessment)
 Serious games as learning objects
 Simple exportation without requiring deep knowledge about
e-learning standards
 Introducing games into learning flow
 Integration with LMS

6. 5/22

7. 6/22

8. 7/22
Integración con Entornos Virtuales de Enseñanza
 Proceso de exportación
 Configurar arquitectura (ambas capas).
 Etiquetar contenido con meta-datos
 Empaquetamiento como Objeto de Aprendizaje (IMS-
CP, SCORM, AGREGA)

9. 8/22
Models for Integration of Serious Games in VLEs
 The Black Box Model
 Games as independent pieces of content – LO.
 Launched from the VLE – content service.
 No active communication.
 IMS CP + LOM.

10. 9/22
Models for Integration of Serious Games in VLEs
 The White Box Model
 Games as independent pieces of content – LO.
 Launched from the VLE – content service.
 Active communication.
 SCORM.

11. 10/22
Models for Integration of Serious Games in VLEs
 The Decoupled Model
 Games as independent pieces of content – LO.
 Launched from external server– mash-up.
 Active communication or not.
 IMS-BLTI, IMS-LTI Basic Outcome, IMS-CC.
 Specific non-standards solutions (e.g. LAMS)

12. 11/22
Models for Integration of Games in VLEs - Summary
 Black box
 Pros : widespread support.
 Cons: game run isolated; dependent on updates.
 Learning scenarios: game as complementary activity.
 White box
 Pros : communication (allowing assess. and adapt).
 Cons: restrictive data model; data cannot be shared; dependent on
updates.
 Learning scenarios: main activities and homework.
 Decoupled model
 Pros : more powerful approach (richer data, shared among tools,
game developer keep control over the game.
 Cons: more complex ICT infrastructure
 Learning scenarios: games outputs adapt learning sequences

13. 12/22
eAdventure + Learning Analytics
Game Engine
Communication
API
{
type: 'input',
timeStamp: some_timestamp,
device: 'some_device',
action: 'some_action',
target: 'target_id',
data: { key1: value, ...}
}
{
type: 'logic',
timeStamp: some_timestamp,
event: 'some_event',
target: 'some_id',
data: { key1: value, ...}
}
LA
Database

14. 13/22
But new e-learning standards appears …
 How can we use Experience API with Serious
games?
 Previously known as TIN CAN API
 Deal with new aspects
 Independence of LMSs
 New devices
 Any kind of activity
 …

15. 14/22
Experience API (XAPI)
 Data Model
 Like Activity Stream
 Extended for educational purposes
 High flexibility
 Verbs: key elements
<I> <did> <this>
<actor> <verb> <object>, with <result>,
in <context>

16. 15/22
Storing and communicating data: LRS and API
 Learning Record Store
 API

17. 16/22
Experience API (XAPI)

18. 17/22
SCORM vs XAPI

19. 18/22
XAPI and eAdventure
 1st step: conceptual analisys
 Identify how use SCORM advantages:
Interactions: it is inlcuded in XAPI
Store fine-grained information
Different kinds of interaction (relationship, true-false,
etc. )
Multiple correct answers
Tagging particular entries with identifiers that link
them to sets of related learning objectives
Journalist vs State
 Identify how use simple and general game outcomes
as done with eAdventure-LAMS
Score, completed, time, and play-time

20. 19/22
XAPI and eAdventure
 2st step: Implementation in eAdventure
 Include a communication module
 Include a profile in the game editor
The communication settings (game exported with
experience communication module)
Link statements with assessment rules

21. 20/22
XAPI and eAdventure
 3st step: case studies
 Old case studies: SCORM and LAMS
 New case studies
Large experiments in real schools

22. 21/22
XAPI and eAdventure
 4st step: advance use of XAPI and games
 Analyze old and new case studies
 New possibilities and learning scenarios provided by
XAPI
 Experiences from EU projects (GALA, CHERMUG,
etc)
 Create “standards” verbs definitions for Serious games
community
 Learning analytics, games and XAPI

23. 22/22
 Raw data can feed several systems
 An LRS
 A Learning Analytics System
eAdventure + Learning Analytics wit XAPI
Raw data
LRS
Learning
Analytics
System
Statements
Analyzer
Statements
Analyzer
EXPERIENCE
API
EXPERIENCE
API

24. 23/22
Other experiences with XAPI
 Laboratory of Computer Science MGH
 Integration medical mannequin simulation data in a
LMS

25. 24/22
Thank you!!
 More info
 Presentation by Ivan Martinez this afternoon
 http://e-adventure.e-ucm.es
 Also a version in Romanian language
 http://www.e-ucm.es/publications/
 eAdventure is open source code
Sourceforge.net