Stuff from the old google document

Our brainstorming outline when we thought we were writing another proposal with the game project, keeping it for reference

Purpose: To provide another resource to help Computer Science students understand the concept of pointers
Target Audience: 1st/2nd Year Computer Science students

• Our goal is to provide simple (2D) games that allow students to build the intuition and understanding of pointers as used in high level languages like C/C++
  
• Additional Questions we would like to answer: Explain the purpose of pointers, how they work, why are they used, as well as how to use them correctly. What are the side effects of using them incorrectly? Syntax (& and * are characters in the game?)
• Methods used:
• People learn in different ways
  
• Sometimes difficult concepts need more than one teaching method to "click"
• Learning from practice, to help understand the theory
• One method mentioned: people who understand assembly and indirect addressing, understand the abstract idea of pointers in higher level languages better
  
• Possible to learn concepts while doing other activities
  • Games can teach a variety of things
    • Logical Analysis
    • Math (Phoenix Quest, E-GEMS, 1994)
    • Social Issues (from "Digital Games Target Social Change", Keri Schreiner)
      • Darfur is Dying (http://www.darfurisdying.com/)
      • Peacemaker (http://www.peacemakergame.com)
      • Oil God (http://www.addictinggames.com/thearcadewireoilgod.html)
      • Ayiti - The Cost of Life (http://www.ampgames.com/frame/YXlpdGkubmV3emNyZXcub3JnL2F5aXRpdW5pY2VmLw==/n/.html)
• Design a game to explain how pointers work to give alternate methods to teach pointers
• Do a case study
• Use Control Group
• same test, no game
• Traditional methods of teaching and test after?
  
• Test again 2 or so weeks later?
  
• Use Group with Game
  
• Test before
• Play game
• Test after
• Test again 2 or so weeks later (retention?)
  
• Background research to be done
• Math/CS educational games (http://csunplugged.com/index.php/get-unplugged.html)
  
• The educational games above
• Analysis (all questions should have "and why?" added to them):
  
• What makes this a good game?
• What would make this a better game?
• How effective are these games at presenting their issues?
• Does the concept get lost in the gameplay?
  Were the users engaged (Cognitively , motivationally, and behaviourally engaged (stratagies, did they need to think to succeed?)
• Teaching Status Quo: Look at really good slides by Prof. Jack Tumblin's slides:
  
• http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/academics/courses/110/notes/18.ppt
• http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/academics/courses/110/notes/19.ppt
• http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/academics/courses/110/notes/20.ppt
• Teaching methods that have failed. Why?
• other alternative methods used introducing new concepts
• Furthermore, games used to introduce new concepts to different levels of education (to understand how to slowly but successfully integrate all key aspects of our subject)
• Any existing games which incorperate pointers
• Based on the educational level of the student, we assume that they are familiar with
• the C language
• Memory of a computer (that it exists)
• The game will introduce the sytax used to reference and dereference pointers
  
• Evaluate game play:
  
• (Reference for Elyse and Donna: see http://webhome.csc.uvic.ca/~agooch/talks/MSGames/Hadwin%20&%20Irvine%20Microsoft%20presentation-1.ppt
• In the furture?
• Further elaborate on pointers (functions, void pointers, etc)
• additional key concepts