In recent times, Game-based Learning (GBL) and “Gamification” serve as emergent mechanisms for modern-day Training. In accordance with Dale’s Cone of Learning, knowledge retention and trainee engagement have been shown to be more effective within a Training environment that purposefully exploits active and experiential opportunities for skillset acquisition. The application of GBL within a high-fidelity Simulation, presented in a Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC)-context, serves as an innovative mechanism for STEM/Engineering and Post-secondary Training.
Accordingly, this paper summarizes the design, development, and deployment of GBL Training experiments intended for a Mechanical Engineering college curriculum. Specifically, we have designed two experiments for undergraduate seniors and graduate students who are studying ground-based vehicle dynamics: 1) a Triangular Race Track that institutes and compares “Ghost” vs. “Gauge” GBL-Trainer elements to optimize real-time vehicle performance, and 2) a Skid Pad closed-course proving grounds that visualizes weight-distribution adjustment to optimize vehicle stability towards a (desirable) neutral steer condition. To assess the ultimate effectiveness of our Training solutions, quantitative data (e.g., speed, X/Y position) was collected by the Simulator, and likewise, our class cohort (N=70) offered supplementary self-report data (e.g., Concept Mapping and Learning Styles) relevant to the GBL experience. As a component of our holistic multi-measure evaluation, these data are analyzed to report lessons-learned along with any meaningful correlates.
To conclude this paper, we will also discuss planned future extensions of our GBL-based Training solution into other Engineering courses. Namely, our framework can be employed in a Junior-level Dynamics course to demonstrate a second-order spring-mass-damper representation of a vehicle suspension system, and similarly, within the context of another engineering discipline (e.g., senior-level Aerospace Engineering), short-period flight modes can be actively demonstrated for an Aircraft Dynamics experiment. Likewise, framework extensibility to a portable augmented/mixed reality deployment for other engineering systems (e.g., military/Marine, K-12 and STEM/location-based entertainment) is forecasted.