Directorate Learning Development



-890905000Learning and Teaching Enhancement SectionStudents as Researchers Scheme 2018/2019Staff Application FormName Dr Helen Carney (Project Lead)*; Dr Helen Tidy*; Professor Tim Thompson^Section/Subject*#Science Department; ^Senior Management Team School/DepartmentSchool of Science, Engineering & DesignContact emailH.carney@tees.ac.ukTitle of research project/activityMinecraft as a pedagogical and research tool in higher educationPedagogic, Discipline Specific or Multi-Disciplinary Pedagogic; Multi-DisciplinarySummary of project research activityMinecraft is a sandbox style software and game that allows players to employ a suite of materials in the creation of their own built environment. The software is available on nearly every operating system and console with tablet and phone versions now available that offer a near identical experience and a previously unparalleled degree of accessibility. An educational version of Minecraft is widely used at the pre-16 school levels to teach a range of topics including science, engineering and maths. This is supported by a network of Minecraft Mentors, who are education professionals from a range of backgrounds and disciplines that facilitate the development and dissemination of learning materials via online collaboration within the Microsoft Community. This research project will investigate ways in which Minecraft use can be extended to higher education and how it could be used to enhance the student learning experience.In particular, the research will focus on potential ways in which Minecraft can be used to support learning of key principles across the biosciences in the areas of biodiversity, ecology, biotechnology and sustainability. However, the foundational learning has the potential to be applied across a broader range of subjects.The research will follow two main strands within the above theme. Firstly, one project will look at the pedagogical aspects of Minecraft to determine how the software can be exploited to support learners in higher education. This strand will involve the use of data collected from surveys and focus groups to ascertain the attitudes and needs of our target learners, but will still be within the context of the biosciences, using the implementation of an ecological field trip within Minecraft as the basis of the test study. Qualitative data will be analysed and used to inform us how learners can best use Minecraft in their learning. This will support the development of future learning materials that will ultimately be transferable to all disciplines within the university.The second project will look at the use of Minecraft as a research environment and the capability of the software to act as a simple modelling tool to allow exploration of a sustainable environment. This strand will involve the generation of a Minecraft world that will demonstrate the response and impact of the environment to differing inputs. The study aims to determine if sustainable use of materials, impact of population sizes on resources and effect of urbanisation on biodiversity are scenarios that can be modelled within a Minecraft world.Have you obtained ethical clearance for this project? (If not, when will it be considered?)Ethical clearance will be sought asap. This will be ethical approval (pedagogic strand) and ethical release (research strand).Summary of student tasksThe students will be required to carry out the following tasks:Pedagogical strand:Contribute to the development of the virtual field trip world, requiring basic build skills in Minecraft and use of classroom mode. Support development of learning materials such as written instructions (within MS OneNote) to accompany the field trip learning session.Carry out a test of the field trip with a group of volunteer students from within the science department. Conduct a follow-up survey and / focus group to gather feedback from users and, with support from academic staff, contribute to the analysis of survey data. Contribute to the preparation of a staff friendly user guide to support the wider implementation of Minecraft within the University and HE sector.Research strand:A resource search of web-based Minecraft educational materials to determine the scope of this work within the area of sustainability.Investigate the methods of monitoring data within Minecraft such as scoreboard and classroom mode to determine the capability for gathering data within the worlds. Contribute to the design of a Minecraft world that will demonstrate the principles of sustainability. Use the above world(s) to carry out a range of defined actions and tasks whilst monitoring the impact and gathering data using the selected methods.Contribute to the production of a research report on this topic. Aiming to “close the loop” and demonstrate the use of the scientific method being implemented within Minecraft. Research output(s) for student (Please detail the tasks that the student(s) will be involved in and how these will develop their research skills)It is envisaged that the researcher will be a Level 4, 5 or Level 6 Science student. Therefore, s/he will be familiar with issues relating to scientific experimentation and the scientific method.This research programme will afford opportunities to:Improve professional communication skills and build a personal network of professional contacts through the contact with academic & technical staff, students and the online Microsoft community.Develop digital citizenship skills by the use of online collaborative tools to deliver aspects of the project. Gain experience of designing, running and assessing a research study using both qualitative and quantitative data. Hence, develop overall research proficiency as a young scientist by applying the scientific method to a real life research study. The student contribution to this pilot study will be taken forward to a larger scale study which will hopefully lead to a publication on Minecraft in the Biosciences and / or HE. It is envisaged that the student(s) will be included as an author on any publication where they have directly or indirectly contributed knowledge to the study.Are there specific criteria students need to address when applying for the project? (e.g. specific research skills, discipline knowledge)Students should show, and be able to provide evidence for:An interest in biodiversity and environmental sustainability.Whilst not prior experience is necessary, students must demonstrate a willingness to learn the mechanics of the software Minecraft prior to starting the project. A desire and motivation to learn a new skill.An ability to manage themselves and their time.Anticipated timeline for project A preliminary timeline is as follows:Pedagogic strand:Design of the virtual field trip world and associated learning materials. To be completed within 6 weeks (40 hours)Deliver a learning session, focus group, gather feedback and analyse data. To be completed within 4 weeks. (20 hours)Compile a reflective document highlighting the learning journey of the above tasks, to be used as the basis of a staff user guide. To be completed in the final week of the project (5 hours)Research strand:Online search of Minecraft materials to determine the availability of pre-existing sustainable worlds. To be completed within 1 week (5 hours).Testing Minecraft scoreboard under various scenarios to determine its suitability as a monitoring tool. To be completed within 1 week (10 hours).Run basic sustainability scenarios in Minecraft whilst monitoring outputs and impacts using scoreboard and other monitoring tools. To continue over 4 weeks (40 hours).Analyse data, write a short research report on the study with recommendations for next steps. To be completed within last week of the project (10 hours). Number of student hours required (max. 65 hours)Two Students (65 hours each)It is envisaged that the students will work collaboratively on BOTH projects, rather than one on strand each, each carrying out an approximately equal number of hours on each strand. Are there any additional costs associated with the student researcher i.e. travel? Please provide details of how this will be fundedEach student will require a Minecraft licence to be purchased for them at approximately ?3 / duration of the project. Loan of a university iPad for the duration of the study. Blurb to advertise the project on online(maximum 280 characters)The project will investigate the use of Minecraft in higher education. Can we run a virtual field trip or model sustainable living in Minecraft? We need two students to help us answer these questions. Experience of Minecraft not essential, but you must be willing to learn! SignedDate24.09.18 ................
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