Learning While Developing a Game: The Case of an Introductory Course on Industrial Engineering and Management

This paper presents a case study on the development of games by students in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) undergraduate program at the University of Aveiro (UA). The development of a game is incorporated as a core assignment within the Introduction to Industrial Engineering and Management course, challenging students to introduce the IEM program at UA to high school scholars, thereby exploring the various facets of the IEM program and the scientific areas it encompasses. The objective is for students to incorporate the knowledge gained in classes, along with insights from their own research, into the game, doing so with imagination and creativity. At the same time, they are encouraged to consider effective communication with the target audience, whose age and interests are often quite similar to their own. To support students in structuring their game design, the Game of Games (www.gameofgames.net) was introduced and played during one of the classes. Students were also encouraged to use it as a framework when developing their own games. In addition to describing the experience itself, this paper also presents a game developed by one of the student groups, with two main objectives: to show an example of the work produced and the challenges encountered during its development, and to provide educators interested in Game-Based Learning with a new resource that can be adapted to their own contexts. The results of this experience are encouraging. Students showed great enthusiasm for the project and demonstrated that they had gained significant knowledge about the various areas of the IEM program, the University of Aveiro, and student life. At the same time, they developed both written and oral communication skills and created tools that may prove valuable beyond their own learning process. In fact, the games can be directly used to promote the IEM program at UA to potential future students and may also be adapted for use in other courses. Additionally, they can be employed in more informal or recreational settings, such as summer academies or themed holiday camps.