Design and Implementation Framework of Game Activity Generators for Declarative Knowledge Training

The long and short term memorization of declarative knowledge (DK) requires repetition, which can quickly lead to boredom for learners. Serious games are often developed to support this training by offering a better motivational vector. However, a key design challenge is providing learners with experiences that are consistently varied and adapted. Generating adapted activities automatically is a technique that is little-discussed in the field of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL). This work addresses the challenge of designing generators for adapted and varied activities within serious games dedicated to DK training. The core contribution is the proposal of a comprehensive software framework aimed at facilitating the design and implementation of these generators. This framework is built upon the theories and practices of Model-Driven Engineering (MDE), utilizing models and metamodels to ensure formal specification, abstraction, and reusability. The framework is designed to be extensible to different didactic domains. It enables the production of training activities that are simultaneously varied and adapted, considering adaptation from both the educational perspective (learner's level and progress within a training path defined by teachers) and the gaming perspective (player's preferences about gameplay). The activities produced by generators developed using this framework take the form of Roguelite-oriented dungeon levels, a genre chosen because its inherent procedural generation provides the necessary variety, repetition, and progression characteristics for DK acquisition. This article presents the framework, including its conceptual models and its MDE-based software infrastructure. We demonstrate its ability to express different didactic domains through its application to distinct educational contexts. Finally, the paper details the evaluation from an engineering point of view, including the use of automated system tests to verify that the generated activities satisfy the properties of adaptation and variety.