Chocolate and Game-based Learning
As promised, this post is written from the Netherlands. I am working at the Educational Technology Expertise Center in the Open University of the Netherlands in Heerlen.
I’m doing a reseach stay with Daniel Burgos in the Development Program, directed by Prof. Rob Koper. We’re working in the integration of the <e-Game> engine with the CopperCore IMS Learning Design player. In a fancy setup, we’re trying to get SLED to launch in the student’s computer a small adventure game as one of the activities from a Unit of Learning. After launched, the game should be adapted to whatever happened in the previous stages of the unit (namely, the previous knowledge of the learner) and when the game finishes, it should report the outcomes of the game to the CopperCore engine so that the rest of the UoL is in turn affected by the outcome. Technologically, lots of SOAP, lots of Java and the wonderful design of the CooperCore Service Integration layer.
Hungry readers will already be wondering: Wassup with the chocolate? It’s coming. From two sides, actually. First a picture, so you get the proper frame of mind:
First, on our proof-of-concept Unit of Learning for the work at OUNL. Provisional title: The Art and Craft of Chocolate. After some initial tests on learner knowledge, we launch this adventure game in which the player is responsible for Paniel, a young student at Le Cordon Bleu learning advanced techniques dealing with chocolate. Sweet sauces, bitter sauces, salty sauces, combinations of chocolate with exotic materials, etc. Nice theme, huh? The player is required to do some research and then prepare a variety of sauces with different styles. Once the player is satiasfied with his arsenal, he can move on to the final test: A practial exam in a restaurant with real customers. The customers have different tastes and Paniel has to infer which of his sauces will satisfy better each client and with what dish they should be served. After the exam, the Unit of Learning continues. More information on that project should be available around Christmas.
Then, I wanted to report my experience this weekend in Cologne. In addition to a nice (but dark and spooky) cathedral, Cologne hosts the Museum of Chocolate, with detailed descriptions of the history and the process of chocolate, a fountain of chocolate that you can actually taste, a tropical garden and a long etc. The pic is actually from the visit to the museum… unfortunately, there was a wall of glass keeping me away from all that melted chocolate.
Obviously I was required to go there as part of my field research (ahem), and I ended up finding game-based learning hidden in a corner. What happens to be relevant was a touchscreen that was going mostly unnoticed but actually included a number of mini-games trying to put some points across. The most interesting one was actually a trading game on the (shameful) history of chocolate. Get some brass, some lanterns, some weapons and a bit of silver in europe and set sail to Africa. Sell some brass there and load the ship with slaves. Set sail to america, sell the slaves and load cocoa beans. Back to europe and some accounting: you spent some 6.000 silver coins and earned some 50.000. Point taken.
A nice way to express a crude reality without hiding it. Very sincere and illustrative. There were also some other minigames on the production, identification of trading vessels and cocoa beans. It is a pity that the machine was going unnoticed and was hidden in a corner. Hopefully, it is actually a good tool when you’re in the guided tour, but visiting on your own it goes rather unnoticed. We’re on the way, but still far from there.
Pics from Cologne and the museum coming when I get up to date with the thousands of photos pending publication.
