iDesign After-School Game-Based Curriculum

NSF Awards: 1312240

Presented in: 2015 (see original presentation & discussion)

Grade Level: Grades 6-8

This video segment will showcase an innovative NSF funded project in which 6th-9th grade students and their teachers engage in interactive after-school Game Design Clubs. The iDesign project is a collaborative effort between Hofstra University and ten schools in suburban Long Island and New York City, all motivated to use rich new learning methods to improve their students’ STEM understanding. A key motive of the iDesign project is to introduce minority students to the culture of information technology early in their education, before they lose interest, in order to prepare them for fulfilling opportunities for future study and careers. The iDesign project moves students from playing computer games, to examining the design of existing games, to collaborating with their peers to design their own games, to sharing their games with others in the community. The iDesign team has developed four modules, each focusing around a specific game design platform. Each module contains multiple lessons, including the structure of games, game mechanics (space, goals, components and rules), altering popular existing games, and creating new games. As students progress through the curriculum, they document their work and collaborate through an on-line management system called Playbook. In addition to showcasing the iDesign curriculum that is implemented throughout the iDesign clubs, this video will highlight the kind of collaboration the iDesign team must take part in to sustain and facilitate a positive and successful learning environment.