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Project Descriptions

Mass Extinction: A Curated Game

August 15, 2009 - July 31, 2012 | Media and Technology, Public Programs

MIT Education Arcade, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, designed and developed Vanished, an eight-week environmental science game as a new genre called the curated game, a hybrid of museum-going, social networking, and online gaming. Middle school aged participants engaged in Earth systems science to study a range of environmental issues associated with mass extinction. Though the game was structured around a fictional scenario--communication with visitors from the future--it posited a future affected by current environmental issues and conditions, and encouraged participants to apply systems thinking as a means to understand how these current conditions led to environmental disruptions. As part of the game play participants studied, applied, and integrated knowledge and skills from multiple sources, including Earth science, ecology, astronomy, and archaeology, and forensic anthropology. An Advisory Board and contributing scientists were be involved. The project team is currently analyzing data collected from the game to test the hypothesis that the game play would allow youth, ages 11-14, to increase their understanding of the scientific process and increase their motivation to learn more science. This summative evaluation is being conducted by TERC Inc. A Curated Game Handbook will be produced to disseminate project results as a model for new applications of game-based learning. Open source software created as part of the game has been made available, and should enable future developers in informal science education to build directly upon these foundational efforts.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0917442
Funding Amount: 626733

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Eric Klopfer
    Principal Investigator
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Conrad Labandeira
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Smithsonian Institution
  • Scot Osterweil
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Stephanie Norby
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Smithsonian Institution
  • Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Education and learning science | Geoscience and geography | Life science | Nature of science | Space science
    Audience: Middle School Children (11-13) | Youth/Teen (up to 17) | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Websites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media | Games, Simulations, and Interactives | Public Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs

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