Legends of the Brainy Ninja Squad: A Serious Memory Game for Engineering Education

Undergraduate #49
Discipline: Computer Sciences and Information Management
Subcategory: Education

Keturah Caldwell - Norfolk State University
Co-Author(s): Rasha Morsi, Messaoud Bahoura, David Morrison, and Mickell Sherron, Norfolk State

The responsibility of every classroom teacher is to engage the minds, hearts, and bodies of all students in their presence. [1] However, teachers and educators, alike, are struggling to inspire and motivate the minds of the digital native to learn [2]. Today’s Digital Native spends the majority of his/her day playing video games, watching television, and engaging in social media while residing in a household where technology is readily available [3]. Per the OECD’s Pisa rankings [4], in 2015, America ranked 36 worldwide in Mathematics. If our students are expected to compete internationally, traditional methods can no longer be utilized as a form of instruction. The goal of this research is to offer an active method of learning, while simultaneously filling the void in the gaming industry for educational engineering games. The game, Legends of the Brainy Ninja Squad, is developed using GameSalad, a 2D graphic-based game engine. It is designed to help electronics and optical engineering students in identifying, recalling, and retaining core concepts within their curriculum through image-word association through a memory matching game theme. This goal is to provide a fun an entertaining game that helps students with recalling basic concepts in their curriculum. The game will be assessed and published as a mobile game.
[1] Rotherham, A., Willingham D., 21st Century Skills: The Challenges Ahead, ASCD Journal, Source: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/21st-Century-Skills@-The-Challenges-Ahead.aspx
[2] Source: http://tech.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Learning-Technology-Effectiveness-Brief.pdf
[3] Learning in the 21st Century: Teaching Today’s Students on Their Terms. International Education Advisory Board
[4] PISA Tests: Top 40 for math and reading, http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26249042

Funder Acknowledgement(s): Science and Technology Academicians on the Road to Success (STARS) Program Grant #F2040013. Funding Agency: National Science Foundation

Faculty Advisor: Rasha Morsi and Messaoud Bahoura, r.morsi@nsu.edu

Role: I did the background research, some programming, and graphics used in the game.