Using Computer Games to Teach Design Patterns and Computer Graphics in CS and IT Undergraduate Courses: Some Case Studies

Abstract

Resumo: The acquisition of skills related to creativity and abstraction, crucial to any Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) curriculum, constitutes unquestionably a didactical challenge. From the educational point of view, the use of games in such process constitutes a motivational element that could help to make the knowledge building process more personalized. To show the possibilities of this educational scenario, two case studies were conducted in CS and IT undergraduate courses. The results obtained in these processes demonstrate the effectiveness of using instructional design elements to elaborate a proposal of applying computer games in undergraduate courses in order to motivate students to learn non-trivial subjects in a ludic way. Abstract: The acquisition of skills related to creativity and abstraction, crucial to any Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) curriculum, constitutes unquestionably a didactical challenge. From the educational point of view, the use of games in such process constitutes a motivational element that could help to make the knowledge building process more personalized. To show the possibilities of this educational scenario, two case studies were conducted in CS and IT undergraduate courses. The results obtained in these processes demonstrate the effectiveness of using instructional design elements to elaborate a proposal of applying computer games in undergraduate courses in order to motivate students to learn non-trivial subjects in a ludic way.