"Integrating Educational Content into Game: An Encapsulation Method"

Fourth-year doctoral student Yucheng (Ruby) Cao (right) and Fan Zou (Sichuan University) published an article in the book Cognitive Cities assessing the effectiveness of an educational game design in improving elementary students’ math learning. The title of the article is “Integrating Educational Content into Game: An Encapsulation Method.”
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Cao, who is specializing in Language, Literacy, and Technology, is advised by Professor Young-Suk Kim. Cao's research interests include second language learning and acquisition, reading and writing development, and multicultural teaching. Prior to her doctoral study, Cao was a creative writing tutor for K-12 students in a non-profit organization, taught English reading and vocabulary for middle school students in China, and served as an advisor for the Mandarin program at a trilingual preschool in the city of Alhambra. She earned a M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

​Abstract
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It has been well established that introducing game elements to education may engage young learners in an active learning process while achieving decent learning results. However, few previous educational game design models emphasize the balance between education and entertainment. More importantly, few of them are sustainably compatible with formal education. To meet these goals, we proposed a game design method and developed a sample game to help and improve lower grade-level students’ math learning. Empirical study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method and students’ game-based learning performance.