What is Marsbasen?
Marsbasen is a learning game aimed at high schools, which is specifically developed to teach C-level physics curriculum. In the learning game, students take on the role of a team of pioneers, who are sent to Mars to establish a base. Naturally, this involves a series of scientific challenges, which means that the students must acquire new knowledge, and put that knowledge to good use.
The project has two prongs, as it consists of both research and development.
Marsbasen is framed by an interactive and partially digital story. Teaching takes place both digitally, in the classroom and doing experiments in the lab. The students experience the game as a progressive story, which they are able to influence. Meanwhile, the goal is to learn physics at C-level.
In terms of research, the project involves researchers from IND and from Niels Bohr Institute, as well as teachers and students from Greve Gymnasium, Københavns Åbne Gymnasium and Tørring Gymnasium.
There has long been a general tendency among high school students that they experience a lack of motivation for learning physics - even though recent reports indicate that students in Danish high schools can choose and be happy with science lines (see Engineer the Future (in Danish)). Research indicates that some of the explanation may be that students have difficulty discerning the relevance of the subject (see also the SCOPE project). The lack of motivation may severely influence the students’ skills and competencies in relation to the natural sciences.
In Marsbasen, we understand physics competency as the student’s ability and will to take action, alone or with others, that draws upon a physics oriented ability to question, have knowledge, skills, strategies and meta knowledge which enables them to create meaning and autonomy and exercise co-determination in the relevant life contexts. (Modified from Dolin, Krogh og Troelsen 2003). In other words, we are fusing the concepts of Bildung and competencies (see also Dolin 2020).
The purpose with Marsbasen is to motivate those students who are not already keen on the subject of physics, so that they become more competent within the framework of physics C. In the game, the students must use physics skills and knowledge to assess and solve practical challenges and problems in connection with the base on Mars. That way, through their participation in the learning game, abstract physics concepts and laws are made concrete to and by the students.
In the Marsbasen project, we define learning games as interactive and engaging student activities with specifically designed rules, frameworks and feedback, which is employed while teaching in order to obtain the goals of the core curriculum. The use of games and game elements in conjunction with education is relatively new. The specific approach which we use in Marsbasen is called scenario didactic, as the narrative context can be described as a scenario (see also Hanghøj et al, 2017).
This learning game format has a number of potential advantages: Like other educational formats that allow for active students, it enables students to become active learners, rather than being resigned to a position of listening/waiting, such as is seen in traditional teacher focused learning situations. Also, the game creates a possibility for students to experience theory being used in practical situations and in a narrative context, and thereby they are given a unique insight into physics and the relevance of the subject.
The learning game places the physics education in an authentic context, and helps students set concrete goals. The students are working autonomously with formulating solutions and drawing conclusions from data that can be utilised further into the game. The teacher’s role is that of a guide and project manager, and to help transfer the learning from the game to a real world context outside the framework of the game.
Yes and no. One of the goals of the project is that high school teachers should be able to employ this material in their courses without necessarily changing the way they organise experiments, practical work or presentation of new material. On the other hand, Marsbasen offers a number of teaching activities which are intended as motivating and engaging for the students, as well as the possibility to get involved with the story about the base on Mars.
Physics didactical research shows that many teachers are well acquainted with teaching methodologies that motivate and engage students in the process of learning physics. However, teachers often experience obstacles in the shape of limited preparation time, a packed curriculum and sometimes resistance from the students. With Marsbasen, we aim to make it easier for teachers to utilise what they know about teaching.
We are employing network theory on this project in order to create an overview and to capture important patterns that might otherwise be difficult to observe.
Competencies and scientific literacy are difficult to measure. At the same time, there are few systematic studies of how students and teachers act in a scenario based teaching setup, and there is a lack of research on design specific aspects of learning games. We believe that network theory can help in three ways:
- Design. How do you integrate research, teaching goals and game design? In order to follow the design process, we employ minutes, participants’ reflections and emails as empirical material. Didactical structures are used to chart the different phases of the learning game.
- Implementation - that is, how the teachers implement the material, the possibilities and obstacles and their connection to practise. Involvement of both teachers and their management early on in the process, giving them co-ownership in the development process, is essential in order to ensure that the game will fit into the teachers’ reality. Implementation in the classroom can be documented by using network charts of the way the teaching is carried out as well as screen captures.
- Student participation and learning. Existing literature has focused on low taxonomic learning goals. One advantage of network methods is that we are able to integrate quantitative and qualitative methods and capture more complex structures. As an example, they have been used to compare actions and learning outcomes across different classes. Such methods are likely to capture what the teacher and the students are doing and what the students are learning better than randomised pre-test-post-test designs.
The project has four phases. Each phase is characterised by different foci relating to design and praxis. The phases integrate research oriented issues with game design, while considering the teachers’ practice. During all phases, Marsbasen is being developed iteratively.
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Phase 1 - completed |
Concept development integrated with research. During this phase the concept for the game was established, and the game designers developed the design and structure of the game. The didactic design was qualified by the researchers and teachers, who were involved. The researchers also processed empirical data in the form of minutes, emails and teacher feedback. |
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Phase 2 - completed |
During this phase, Masbasen was tested and brought from the alpha version (a nonfunctional version of the game) to a beta version. This was a process of trial and error. Teacher involvement was now brought into the classrooms, and elements, functionalities and assignments were tested on the students. Empirical data about how the game worked in a classroom setting was collected through video observations and student products. |
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Phase 3 - ongoing, completion summer 2021 |
From beta version to release worthy version. During this phase, teachers are conducting the full game in their classes, and following this we will be performing revisions and improvements. In parallel to this, physics education and learning activities that cover the entire curriculum for physics C level are being developed and integrated. Research changes focus from how the teachers employ the material to the students’ motivation and benefit of using the game. In this phase, teachers function as gatherers and sometimes processors of empirical data. |
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Phase 4 - will be initiated after the end of 2021 |
Presentation and roll-out of the games. This phase consists of preparation and holding of workshops for high school teachers who teach physics in order to enable them to utilise the finished game. The project group will organise workshops on high schools that are centrally placed within their region, where teachers from the region will be able to participate. Following this, we are offering to reach out to high schools that take a special interest and conduct workshops. In terms of research, the work will continue with interviews, questionnaire- and screen capture analysis. |
The project demands bridge-building between STEM research, game design and teaching. During the early phases, the participating teachers, designers and researchers worked closely together in order to connect know-how about narrative learning games with cutting edge didactic research and teacher practices. During the later phases, the game is developed iteratively after a model which integrates the workflow of the designers and the teachers’ use of the material in their classrooms with research methods that reveal the motivation, implementation and benefits of the teachers and students. The end goal is a course that can be utilised by physics teachers, as well as new knowledge about how such courses can be made, and what students may learn from such courses.
Project group, Department of Science Education
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search in Name | Search in Title | Search in Phone | |
| Helle Mathiasen | Professor, Emerita | +4526810152 | |
| Jesper Bruun | Associate Professor | +4535320391 |
Funded by
In December 2018, Marsbasen was granted 5 million DKK by NOVO Nordisk's educational effort for the autumn of 2018.
Grant number: NNF18OC0052291
Period: The 1st of February 2019 to the 1st of February 2022.
Contact
Marsbasen online!
Marsbasen, IBSE and magic circles at DASERA 2021
Research insights and rationales was presented at DASERA's seminar on 19/11.
Marsbasen at Make-a-difference conference
The narrative concept behind Marsbasen was presented and we asked the participants to try out one of our missions.
Jesper Bruun keynote speaker at FMSERA conference
On November 12th 2020, associate professor Jesper Bruun presented an opening keynote at the Finish Mathematics and Science Education Association’s yearly seminar.