GAME-BASED LEARNING FOR MARINE SCIENCE: AN ONLINE EXAMPLE WITH LESSONS LEARNED

Game-based learning presents a valuable tool to help students learn about marine science. This active learning approach allows students to work toward a goal by evaluating and choosing actions and then analyzing the resulting outcomes in real-time with adaptive guidance.

With funding from NOAA, we developed an online, open-source game-based learning program to teach middle school students about the impacts of ocean acidification (OA) and positive actions to help (#NA22OAR017021). We designed the material by integrating current OA data/models from NOAA into a framework of decisions and outcomes that align with Next Generation Science Standards. We collaborated with multiple educators in an iterative process of feedback to build a scaffolding learning framework that begins with knowledge and comprehension and progresses to synthesis and evaluation. Feedback also informed our development of accessory documents that provide educators with background information, example lesson plans, and detailed descriptions of how the material aligns with Next Generation Science Standards.

Students begin the game-based program by learning about OA with accessible instructions and visual animations. Following a series of knowledge check questions, students select a role, such as marine park manager, fishing boat captain, or ocean tour guide. Students are then tasked with making decisions for how to reduce OA impacts on their character and marine life. Students evaluate and select decisions based on the data provided and their own knowledge, and then they analyze how their actions influenced OA impacts in real-time with adaptive recommendations.

We have released this learning activity freely online and are in the process of providing guided in-person demonstrations in schools (www.outreachgames.org). Our collaborative workflow emphasizes the importance of iterative testing and ensuring the deliverable product is useful and easy for educators to deploy. In developing the game program, we found it is critical to maintain a clear and accessible gameplay structure that uses a combination of images, text, numbers, animations, and sounds. This integrated approach creates a learning environment that provides immediate feedback to student actions and helps foster self-directed learning for marine science.