Facilitating Higher-Order Learning Through Computer Games

Engineering education needs to focus on equipping students with foundational math, science, and engineering skills, with development of critical and higher-order thinking so they can address novel and complex problems and challenges. Learning through a medium that combines course materials with game characteristics can be a powerful tool for engineering education. Games need to be designed for higher order engagement with students, which go beyond remembering, understanding and applying of engineering concepts. In this paper, we present design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a game for engineers. The developed game is founded on experiential learning theory and uses enhanced game characteristics. The racecar game has been designed to facilitate higher-order learning of geometric tolerancing concepts. The course module has been developed and implemented, with assessment of outcomes. The results show that students using the game module, when compared with the control group (lecture-based instruction), had significant improvements when addressing questions that involved higher-order cognition. Survey results also indicate positive student attitudes towards the learning experience with game modules.