UbiqBio: Adoptions and Outcomes of Mobile Biology Games in the Ecology of School

Abstract

The integration of learning games into schools holds significant promise, yet faces numerous obstacles. Ubiquitous games (casual games for smart phones) attempt to motivate students to engage repeatedly with content beyond school, while enabling teachers to facilitate deeper reflection on game-related curricula during class. During a two-year study, researchers developed four biology-themed UbiqGames and curricula. An analysis of gameplay patterns and posttest data suggests that both male and female students played the games. Correlation of content knowledge gains with specific game design attributes (e.g., simulation feedback and depth of content) suggested areas for further research on “casual” learning games.