Great fun at ITEAA Conference & Introduction of Exciting Game-Based Learning Modules

Last week I had a chance to attend the ITEAA Conference which is the conference of the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.

At the conference, I was not presenting or conducting a workshop, instead I was playing the role of a vendor.

Letting people know about the Survival Master Product.

I am a Co-Principle Investigator for a National Science Foundation grant called Simulation and Modeling in Technology Education (SMTE). We are in the final year of the grant and are doing some wonderful things with the content we’ve created.

The project team has created an extensive “Physical Modeling” curriculum that features exercises and activities in the areas of heat transfer, live and dead load and the creation of structures (our focus is on engineering). The materials are aimed at upper middle school, lower high school grades. We have also created a video game for learning that accompanies the physical modeling curriculum or can stand alone as it’s own instructional module.

Here is the developer and co-designer of the game, Jim Kiggens talking to some enthusiastic teachers about the Survival Master game and how it can be used effectively in the classroom. You can learn more at Gaming2Learn. We have gotten great preliminary results from research concerning the effectiveness of the game and have been able to show that learning occurs both from the physical modeling curriculum and the game curriculum. Of course, a combination of both is ideal for learning.

Jim Kiggens talking with excited teachers about Survival Master

Here is the opening screen to the game, we use a research-backed approach of introducing content, then having students play the game and then debriefing the students about what they learned during the game.

Introduction to the content and your mission in Survival Master game.

Next, the learner gets a brief introduction to the concepts he or she will be learning in the game.

Learning about heat flow before the Survival Master mission.

If you want to check it out, you can download it for free at this web site. Just go to Download and enter your information and download. We are working on a commericalization plan but, for now, the download is FREE. So, download now and check it out. We will be adding more modules in the future.

Here is a peak at some of the wonderful video game learning modules we’ve created using Unity.

In Mission One, the objective is to teach: Delta T (ΔT=Th-Tc).

Learning about heat flow through a game.

In Mission Two, the objective is to teach: Surface Area (A), Thermal Conductivity (K), Thickness (L)

Player begins to work his way through underground maze.

In Mission Three, the objective is to teach: Heat Flow Formula (Q=KAΔT/L)

The vast frozen wilderness faces the player as she learns about heat flow formula.

Learn more, go to and read some more or go and download the game and curriculum for free at this web site. Go to Download and enter your information and download. We will be adding more modules in the future.