Search Results (417)

The rapid emergence of generative AI tools is transforming software development. Consequently, software engineering education must adapt to ensure that students not only learn traditional development methods but also understand how to use these new technologies effectively and responsibly. In particular, project-based courses provide an effective setting in which to explore and evaluate the integration of AI assistance into real-world development practices. This paper presents our approach and a user study conducted in the context of a university programming project in which students collaboratively developed computer games. The study investigates how participants used generative AI tools across different phases of the software development process, identifies the tasks for which these tools were perceived as most useful, and analyzes the challenges students encountered. Building on these insights, we further examine a repository-aware, locally deployed large language model (LLM) assistant designed to provide project-contextualized support. The system employs retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to ground its responses in relevant documentation and source code, thereby enabling a qualitative analysis of model behavior, parameter sensitivity, and common failure modes. These findings deepen our understanding of context-aware AI support in educational software projects and inform the future integration of AI-based assistance into software engineering curricula. Full article

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of serious games, including virtual reality-based interventions, in improving clinical skills acquisition among undergraduate and postgraduate health science students. Methods: This systematic review was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024589035) and conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were searched from inception to 31 August 2025. Eligible studies examined serious games, simulation-based platforms, or immersive and non-immersive virtual reality interventions designed to support clinical skills development. Outcomes were classified using a predefined hierarchical framework aligned with Miller’s pyramid, distinguishing performance-based clinical competence, clinical reasoning, and secondary educational outcomes. Owing to substantial heterogeneity in interventions, comparators, and assessment methods, a narrative synthesis was performed. Results: Thirteen studies involving 892 participants were included. Serious games and virtual reality-based interventions were associated with generally favorable outcomes for knowledge acquisition, self-efficacy, motivation, satisfaction, and anxiety reduction. Improvements in clinical reasoning were reported in several studies, and some studies demonstrated benefits in performance-based clinical competence, particularly in simulation and virtual reality settings. However, findings for objective performance-based outcomes were mixed, with some studies reporting no statistically significant between-group differences. Heterogeneity in outcome definitions and limited reporting of standardized effect sizes reduced cross-study comparability. Conclusions: Serious games, including virtual reality-based interventions, may serve as complementary, scenario-based learning strategies in health sciences education. The most consistent effects were observed for cognitive and learner-centered outcomes, whereas evidence for objective gains in performance-based clinical competence remains variable. Further high-quality studies using standardized outcome frameworks, validated performance-based assessments, effect sizes, confidence intervals, and longer follow-up are needed. Full article

Respiratory infectious diseases remain a major public health challenge due to the persistence of inadequate preventive behaviors and limited awareness of invisible contagion mechanisms. Although augmented reality (AR) has been increasingly adopted in educational applications, there is still a need for structured and user-centered approaches that integrate immersive interaction, pedagogical objectives, and usability-oriented development for preventive health education. This study presents the design and development of an AR serious game, “Covidcito Malhechor”, aimed at supporting preventive health education through immersive learning experiences. The proposed contribution combines the iPlus methodology with the Scrum agile framework to provide a structured and replicable process for developing AR-based serious games. The system enables users to visualize virtual representations of viruses and contamination processes within real-world environments while interacting with gamified preventive health scenarios. The solution integrates pedagogical objectives, gamification elements, and AR-based interaction mechanics within a human-centered design approach focused on usability and accessibility. The system was evaluated through performance testing, functional validation, and usability assessment involving 40 students. Results demonstrated stable execution on ARCore-compatible mobile devices, achieving a successful completion of all functional test cases after iterative refinement. The usability evaluation using the Serious Games Usability Evaluation Instrument (SGUEI) yielded an overall score of 83.14%, indicating a high level of perceived usability and interaction quality. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility and usability of the proposed approach and support its potential as a foundation for future studies on AR-based preventive health education. Full article

In today’s educational context, Game-Based Learning (GBL) has emerged as a promising methodology for promoting active learning in an engaging and motivating way. This study aims to analyze the impact of a video game-based intervention on the development of students’ cognitive skills, focusing on the levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, as well as to explore students’ perceptions of this methodology. Accordingly, an intervention was conducted with 52 students in the Early Childhood Education Degree Program, integrating video games designed for this study for pedagogical purposes. An approach combining two quantitative instruments was employed: knowledge assessment tests and a student perception questionnaire. The results show a significant improvement in students’ higher-order cognitive skills, particularly in the dimensions of applying, analyzing, and evaluating. Furthermore, students demonstrated a positive attitude toward the use of video games as a learning tool. Therefore, this study confirms that the integration of GBL methodology at the university level can effectively contribute to the development of higher-order cognitive skills among teachers in initial training. However, further research is recommended to examine its long-term impact and its effectiveness across different levels of education. Full article

This study presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of gamified platforms for cybersecurity education and training, with a particular focus on environments that incorporate attack–defence simulation. The review examines how the literature addresses gamification, User eXperience (UX), didactics, platform design, and sustainability-related deployment conditions across higher education as the primary reference context, while also considering adjacent applied training contexts when they provide transferable evidence for platform design, deployment, or evaluation, including online learning. We analysed 172 studies published between 1 January 2015 and 8 March 2026. The findings show that the field combines authentic hands-on practice with challenge-based learning, feedback-rich progression, and diverse technical formats, including cyber range environments, serious games, CTF-oriented platforms, cloud-based infrastructures, and modular training systems. The review also indicates that the educational value of these approaches depends on the alignment between pedagogical structure, interaction design, and technical architecture, as well as on safe experimentation, adaptability, governance, and long-term maintainability. The review contributes an evidence-based taxonomy and configurational synthesis of recurrent design patterns across UX, didactics, gamification, architecture, and sustainability, and it identifies implications for future empirical research and for the design of sustainable, learner-centred cybersecurity teaching platforms. Full article

Game-based learning (GBL) has gained widespread attention as an innovative pedagogical approach, yet its potential to enhance students’ metacognitive learning remains underexplored. Guided by self-regulated learning (SRL) theory, the review investigates how GBL design features, such as goal-setting, real-time feedback, progress visualization, and reflection tools, scaffold students’ planning, monitoring, and evaluation strategies. A systematic search across Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest identified the studies, which included data from physical classrooms, online learning environments, and mixed settings. This scoping review synthesizes evidence from 11 peer-reviewed studies conducted between 2015 and 2025 to evaluate the impact of GBL on metacognitive learning in primary and junior middle school contexts. Findings reveal that GBL effectively supports metacognitive learning through real-time feedback and progress indicators, though planning and evaluation scaffolds are less comprehensively addressed. Furthermore, digital trace data and behavioral logs are emerging as robust tools for assessing metacognitive processes, offering deeper insights than self-reports alone. However, the review identifies critical gaps, including insufficient focus on junior middle school students, limited representation of non-STEM disciplines, and uneven theoretical grounding across studies. The findings underscore the need for theory-driven design and balanced scaffolding to maximize GBL’s potential in fostering metacognitive competence. This study also provides practical insights for educators to foster students’ metacognitive learning by effectively integrating games into educational practices. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study examined how different types of language activities in educational settings predict language ability in preschoolers with cochlear implants (CIs) versus normal-hearing (NH) peers. Predictor variables included two dimensions of language activities (language learning activities: shared reading, word games, and story retelling; daily communication activities: routine conversations and free play talk), as well as auditory utilization status (awareness of sounds, perception of speech sounds, and attentive listening to teachers/peers), learning attentional state, and family socioeconomic status (SERS). The outcome variable was language ability, measured with the Mandarin Clinical Evaluation of Language for Preschoolers’ Core Scale (MCELP-CS), and control variables included age and, for the CI group only, age of implantation. Methods: Participants included 189 CI (mean age = 4.53 years, SD = 0.83) and 210 NH preschoolers (mean age = 4.64 years, SD = 0.83). All predictor and control variables were collected via teacher-reported questionnaires (self-compiled by the research team). Statistical analyses used hierarchical regression with separate models for each group. Results: For the CI group, after controlling for age and age of implantation, engagement in language learning activities emerged as the most stable and independent predictor of language ability. Auditory utilization status was another significant predictor, and its inclusion substantially increased the model’s R². For the NH group, language ability was primarily predicted by age-related maturation, with language learning activities showing additional predictive value, while daily communication activities and learning attentional state contributed very little. Conclusions: Findings suggest that for educational rehabilitation of CI preschoolers: increasing engagement in language learning activities in classrooms may be more beneficial than relying on daily conversation or merely improving attention alone; meanwhile, auditory utilization skills should also be fostered synergistically. Importantly, language intervention models designed for NH preschoolers cannot be directly transferred to CI preschoolers. Full article

Mixed reality (MR) technologies enable users to experience computer-generated content within the physical environment through spatial computing and head-mounted displays. By supporting real-time interaction through speech, gesture, gaze, and movement, MR offers new opportunities for game design beyond productivity and educational applications. However, relatively few studies have examined interaction modalities in MR games. In this paper, we present the design and deployment of four MR games on the Microsoft HoloLens 2: three that use monomodal input (speech, gaze, or gesture) and one that uses multimodal input (speech, gaze, and gesture). We conducted a study with ten participants and evaluated player experience using subjective self-reports of task load, emotional engagement, and comfort alongside objective measures, namely brain activity data collected with a five-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) device. Our preliminary findings suggest two clusters of interaction modalities based on subjective measures, a pattern that is also reflected in the objective EEG measures. Our analysis combining subjective and EEG data indicates that interaction modality influences task load and emotional engagement. Additionally, our functional connectivity analysis showed links in activity across the prefrontal, temporal, and occipital brain regions for different input modalities in the MR games. Full article

This study investigates the effectiveness of a Game-Based Learning (GBL) itinerary designed to enhance mental calculation (MC) skills related to divisibility in primary education. Grounded in the theoretical perspective of MC as a strategic and adaptive process, the study addresses the gap between performance-based outcomes and the qualitative emergence of flexible strategies. A mixed-methods design was employed with 104 Year 5 pupils divided into an experimental group (Mentematiko) and a control group receiving traditional instruction. Quantitative results showed comparable improvements in execution speed, while the GBL group achieved a markedly greater increase in calculation accuracy. Qualitative validation, based on individual post-test interviews conducted with all participants, revealed that the game-based environment promoted the emergence of flexible and relational calculation strategies rather than procedural reproduction. Social interaction and argumentative practices embedded in gameplay appeared to make mathematical reasoning more visible and adaptive. The study’s originality lies in integrating quantitative performance measures with a qualitative validation procedure aimed at distinguishing genuine flexible mental calculation strategies from numerically correct but procedurally reproduced responses. Methodologically, the findings highlight the importance of analysing actual strategy use when evaluating instructional interventions in mathematics education. Full article

Aim: This study assessed the effects of a six-week educational intervention using an adapted “Snakes and Ladders” board game on hydration knowledge, behavior, and status among Tunisian elementary school children during physical education (PE) lessons. Method: A randomized controlled trial involving 207 children was conducted, with participants assigned to either the educational group (EG, n = 99) or the control group (CG, n = 108). The EG participated in six weekly 30-min board game sessions, while the CG continued regular activities. Knowledge of hydration was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Hydration status was monitored indirectly by the percentage change in body mass from pre- to post-PE session. Perceived thirst was evaluated using a 9-point scale, and hydration behavior was evaluated based on water consumption during PE lessons. Results: Following the intervention, the EG demonstrated a significant improvement in overall hydration knowledge (ΔMean = +0.30 ± 0.11 vs. −0.05 ± 0.08 in CG; p < 0.001). Water intake during PE sessions increased progressively from week 2 (83.6 ± 127.2 mL) to week 6 (311.2 ± 204 mL) in the EG, whereas it remained unchanged in the CG (p < 0.001). Body mass loss after PE sessions decreased significantly in the EG (−0.03 kg) compared with the CG (−0.16 kg; p < 0.001), and perceived thirst before and after PE sessions was markedly lower (Cohen’s d = 0.75–1.32). Conclusions. The six-week board-game intervention appeared effective in increasing hydration knowledge, promoting healthier drinking behaviors during PE, and improving indirect indicators of hydration status. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the feasibility and educational value of a gamified, low-cost approach to hydration promotion in schools. Further research should examine long-term retention, include objective hydration biomarkers, and evaluate applicability across diverse school settings and environmental conditions. Full article

Purpose: This study explores how older adults with chronic back pain (CBP) evaluate different user interface (UI) designs and gamification elements for an ultrasound-based wearable providing real-time biofeedback during segmental stabilization exercises (SSE). The aim is to identify design preferences and motivational factors to enhance usability, engagement, and adherence in this specific population. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study with 15 older adults (aged ≥ 65) experiencing CBP. Participants interacted with three UI mockups (simple, anatomical, and playful) via a Wizard-of-Oz simulation and evaluated additional motivational elements (e.g., points, badges, progress charts). Semi-structured interviews and the Technology Usage Inventory (TUI) subscales were used to assess usability, acceptance, and intention to use. Results: Participants preferred the simple and anatomical UI designs, citing clarity, professionalism, and ease of interpretation. The playful design was viewed as less appropriate due to perceived infantilization. Game elements such as progress tracking, points, and levels were positively received, while competitive features like leaderboards were viewed critically. Most participants expressed interest in integrating pain education, favoring multimedia formats. Conclusions: Digital health tools for older adults must prioritize intuitive, medically reliable interfaces and allow personalization of motivational and educational components. The findings highlight the need for age-appropriate UI design and suggest that well-balanced gamification and educational features may enhance perceived acceptance and have the potential to support long-term use, which should be evaluated in longitudinal studies. Full article

Simulation technologies are widely used in the construction industry to analyze complex operations and evaluate project performance before physical construction begins. However, interpreting simulation outputs remains challenging due to the dynamic nature of construction activities and the difficulty of representing spatial and temporal changes using traditional numerical or textual outputs. To address these limitations, researchers increasingly integrate visualization technologies with construction simulation models to improve understanding, communication, and decision-making. Using the PRISMA methodology, this paper presents a systematic literature review of visualization technology applications in construction simulation during the building phase. A total of 118 relevant publications published between 2000 and 2023 are reviewed and analyzed. The findings reveal a strong relationship between visualization technologies and Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and game engine technologies. Autodesk Navisworks and Unity are identified as the most frequently used visualization platforms, with game engines showing increasing adoption in recent years due to their support for immersive and interactive environments. The reviewed studies are further categorized into six primary use cases: scheduling and planning, education and training, equipment management, safety management, workspace planning, and simulation validation and verification. The results also demonstrate increasing research interest in real-time visualization, AR/VR integration, and interactive simulation environments. Overall, the findings highlight the growing role of visualization technologies in improving construction project planning, communication, training, safety, and decision-making, while also identifying important future research directions related to interoperability, real-time interaction, and extensible visualization platforms. Full article

Creating effective computer-assisted learning (CAL) environments for children remains challenging, particularly in sustaining motivation, engagement, and meaningful learning outcomes. While educational games are widely used to address these challenges, many studies rely on post hoc evaluation rather than incorporating data-driven insights into the design process. This study presents an exploratory design framework that uses clustering of educational game reviews and sentiment-informed stakeholder insights as design drivers to guide the development of a dual-format nutrition-focused learning environment. The framework integrates established learning analytics techniques, including clustering, behavioral analysis, and sentiment analysis, with pedagogical approaches such as user-centered design, gamification, and interactive learning. An illustrative evaluation was conducted using multiple data sources, including the China Nutrition and Health Survey (CHNS), 1500 educational game reviews, and a classroom-based implementation involving 120 s-grade students. All participants engaged with both board-based and computer-based formats. The analysis identified three design-relevant themes—content engagement, visual appeal, and motivational mechanisms—which were used to inform the development of the learning environments. The results suggest improvements in knowledge-related outcomes, along with observable patterns of learner engagement across interaction formats. The dual-format design was associated with specific engagement patterns, including socially mediated interaction and individual participation. These findings are interpreted as indicative rather than causal. From an educational sustainability perspective, the findings are considered in terms of engagement continuity, outcome consistency, and design adaptability. Full article

This study investigates the user experience (UX) of game-based activities within a school-based social robot intervention for children with ASD and examines changes in task-related performance across robot-led and teacher-led structured communicative–linguistic activities. A multimodal methodology combines quantitative measures (accuracy, response time, and physiological signals) with qualitative teacher feedback. The results reveal limited significant differences in accuracy and other performance variables; however, response time decreased significantly across repetitions and was lower in teacher-led sessions. These findings indicate improved task-response efficiency and suggest a possible facilitation pattern in subsequent human-led interactions, although this effect cannot be disentangled from practice or order effects because of the sequential design. Rather than demonstrating broad linguistic gains, the study highlights the value of multimodal UX-oriented evaluation for identifying design limitations, refining robot-mediated educational activities, and supporting teacher involvement in ASD interventions. Full article

Hybrid role-playing games are increasingly used to support democratic learning, yet there is limited empirical evidence on how such hybrid designs function across contexts. This study analyses the pedagogical and deliberative effects of Empaville, a hybrid role-playing game designed to simulate a green participatory budgeting process by embedding deliberation, competition, and voting within a fictional urban setting. We analyse six implementations conducted between 2023 and 2025 in the United Kingdom and Morocco (N = 118), combining participant observation with post-game survey data. The analysis examines role activation, phase-level enjoyment, and participants’ reported learning and deliberative experiences, using descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, effect size measures, and qualitative thematic analysis. Across contexts, participants report that the game supports perspective-taking, intellectual humility, and constructive engagement with disagreement, while perceived learning and participation intensity vary more substantially across individuals and sessions. Cross-national comparisons reveal some statistically detectable differences in how specific phases are experienced, particularly voting, but effect sizes are generally small or trivial, indicating limited substantive divergence overall. These findings suggest that hybrid role-playing games can foster deliberative learning outcomes in short educational interventions, while highlighting the importance of distinguishing between enjoyment, engagement, and perceived pedagogical value. The study contributes an exploratory but systematic mixed-methods evaluation suitable for small-N pedagogical interventions without causal claims. Full article