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Game based-learning have been widely promoted to overcome the difficulties encountered by beginners to learn programming. However, there are many issues to address for the implementation of game-based learning. Indeed, game-based learning is not limited to adding game elements such as rewards to a learning situation, but it rather consists of transforming the learning situation so that it becomes playful. This work contributes to computer science education research, especially to game design for learning programming. We design a novel environment dedicated to learning object-oriented programming for beginners called Progo. It is based on a metaphor of a three-dimensional (3D) construction and animation game. We present an "a priori" analysis of the Progo environment on the basis of a didactic transposition framework. The framework highlights the ludicisation and metaphorisation process by which educational content is integrated into the game. This allows for the analysis of the transformation of the computing knowledge by the game design, and to verify whether analogies are maintained between the knowledge and what the learner should experience through play. This work contributes to a framework for the integration of educational content during learning game design.

Digital and innovation competencies are nowadays highly required for students and faculty members in higher education institutions. We therefore need environments that incubate innovative learning scenarios to develop these competencies. We conducted a design-based research with the dual objective to develop learning labs in four universities and to document the design and implementation process and the addressed challenges. In this paper, we describe the concept of learning lab and the process of its setting up based on the experiments and observations conducted in the four learning labs in Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Switzerland. A learning lab is defined as a physical, digital and human space for observation, experimentation and evaluation, to rethink and enrich learning and teaching attitudes and practices at the university. A learning lab is an incubator of pedagogical innovation and digital learning structured on three dimensions: spaces, activities and communities. We also identify the main challenges for the design and implementation of a learning lab. These challenges consist of the institutionnalisation of the learning lab and building, growing and nurturing a learning community.

This paper draws on an empirical work dedicated to discussing a theoretical model for design-based research. The context of our study is a research project for the design, the implementation and the analysis of Insectophagia, a digital role-play game implemented in secondary schools. The model presented in this paper aims at conceptualizing researchers' and practitioners' relationships with the notion that knowledge development takes place at a meta-didactical level when the participants develop a shared practice and a shared discourse on practice (a common praxeology). This is done through collaboration and teacher-centered design of innovative learning settings. This model emerges from a double approach: (1) a literature review on collaborative research in education and, (2) an analysis of the verbal interactions of practitioners and researchers involved in the project. The study emphasizes the development of knowledge among participants. It also emphasizes the importance of knowledge brokering for filling the gap between research and practice and thus, for the adoption of digital technology by practitioners.

In this article, we discuss the concept of gamification, based on a literature review and preliminary feedback from teachers using "Classcraft," a role-playing game supported by a digital platform and a mobile application that were developed to answer high school teachers' classroom management needs. Our results come from two experiments in France and Quebec and also from an online survey that was made available on the "Classcraft" platform. These results promote a model of gamification that consists of considering the experience of the students, rather than the game itself, and they confirm that a game is consubstantial to its player. Therefore, we argue for the use of the term "ludicization" to emphasize that transforming a situation into a game does not consist of using elements that have a game-like aspect, but rather of a non-essentialistic vision of play, generating a metaphor around the situation to build a "reflexive space" where the nature and meaning of interactions are modified.

Object-Oriented paradigm is a common paradigm for introductory programming courses. However, many teachers find that transitioning to teaching this paradigm is a difficult task. To overcome this complexity, many experienced teachers use microworlds to give beginner students an intuitive and rapid understanding of fundamental abstract concepts of Object-Oriented Programming, leading to a more effective learning. Microworlds have thus, become known to be engaging and facilitating complex concepts understanding, however, we know little on the process by which microworlds can be effective for learning, and how they motivate beginners. In this article, we attempt to identify the design principles of microworlds that offer support structures for providing engaging and meaningful learning activities that facilitate programming learning. We will explore individually each design principle, while focusing on its relation to learning and its relevance for learning Object-Oriented Programming. We finally, present PrOgO, a novel programming microworld, we designed on the basis of existing microworlds.

This study examines how 12-15-year-old students use information while playing Geome, a mixed reality game intended for museum school visits. Geome presents environmental issues, prompting students and asking them to discern and dismiss misinformation and rumors. The study aims to analyze the students' playful learning experience and their perspective on the game. It focuses on the students' critical thinking, interactions and beliefs about knowledge and knowing, referred to as personal epistemology. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research was conducted across three classes in a museum. A combination of audio, video, and in-game interactions was collected from specific moments during gameplay and analyzed according to epistemological dimensions (Certainty, Simplicity, Source, Justification). Video analysis suggests that when faced with ill-structured problems within a playful scenario, some students are spurred to actively process information and develop critical thinking skills. Meanwhile others remain entrenched in their initial conceptions about the nature of knowledge and the act of knowing. The study discusses how the game's characteristics shape students' personal epistemology. Overall, this research demonstrates that games in museum contexts have the potential to promote active learning and critical thinking in some students, when confronted with complex or ill-structured problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have stressed students' lack of understanding of experiments in laboratories. Some researchers suggest that if students design all or parts of entire experiment, as part of an inquiry-based approach, it would overcome certain difficulties. It requires that a procedure be written for experimental design. The aim of this paper is to describe the characteristics of a procedure in science laboratories, in an educational context. As a starting point, this paper proposes a model in the form of a hierarchical task diagram that gives the general structure of any procedure. This model allows both the analysis of existing procedures and the design of a new inquiry-based approach. The obtained characteristics are further organized into criteria that can help both teachers and students assess a procedure during and after its writing. These results are obtained through two different sets of data. First, the characteristics of procedures are established by analysing laboratory manuals. This allows the organization and type of information in procedures to be defined. This analysis reveals that students are seldom asked to write a full procedure, but sometimes have to specify tasks within a procedure. Secondly, iterative interviews are undertaken with teachers. This leads to the list of criteria to evaluate the procedure. (Contains 7 tables and 2 figures.)

The term "Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing" (APM) has become an ubiquitous buzzword with deep potential policy implications. There is a real danger that APM will be seen as a general panacea for solving economic woes and drug shortages, devoiding it from specific meaning, and depriving the technical community of focus much needed for its development and implementation. This paper first discusses several semantic definitions of APM that have been proposed in the field. A functional definition of APM is then presented as: A system that is designed using predictive models, where automation minimizes human intervention while enabling closed loop process control and real time quality assurance, where performance has been optimized to maximize desired process goals, where flexible amounts of product with equivalent attributes can be manufactured, and where equivalent processes can be implemented at multiple locations to manufacture products with equivalent critical quality attributes. The proposed definition is presented to motivate discussion and elicit contributions from other stakeholders, and to contribute to the development of a consensus framework for design, development, implementation, and evaluation of APM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The game orchestration by the game master during a game-based learning session requires to (1) collect data from player interactions, (2) visualize indicators built with this data, (3) take decisions regarding the monitoring of the activity and (4) interact with players. The complexity of this monitoring increases with mixed-reality games due to the multiplicity of possible interactions with tangible and digital game elements. This article deals with playing analytics and the design of a digital companion to help a game master to orchestrate Geome, a mixed-reality game dedicated to museum school visits. The prototype is the result of a co-design process between researchers, practitioners, and computer scientists. This work allowed us to (1) define the interactions established during the use of the game that should be traced for the game master and (2) test the prototype with 3 classes (12-15 years old). We found that, while the players play the game as intended using most of the features, the game master makes little use of his dashboard and doesn’t interact with players through the dedicated interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serious games are increasingly used at all levels of education. However, research shows that serious games do not always fulfill all the targeted pedagogical objectives. Designing efficient and engaging serious games is a difficult and multidisciplinary process that requires a collaborative approach. Many design frameworks have been described, most of which are dedicated to the development of specific types of serious games and take the collaborative dimension into account only to a limited extent. Objective: Our aim was to create a generic serious game design framework that could be adapted to all kinds of serious games and implemented in a collaborative web platform. Methods: We combined the results of a literature review with our experience in serious game design and development to determine the basic building blocks of a collaborative design framework. We then organized these building blocks into categories and determined the features that a generic design framework should include. Finally, based on the paradigm of complex systems and systemic modelling, we created the co.LAB generic design framework and specifications to allow its implementation in a collaborative web platform. Results: Based on a total of 10 existing design methodologies or frameworks, 23 building blocks were identified and represent the foundation of the co.LAB framework. These blocks were organized into 5 categories: "context and objectives," "game design," "mechanics," "learning design," and "assessment." The arrangement by categories provides a structure that can be visualized in multiple and complementary ways. The classical view links game and learning design while other views offer project, systemic, and process visualizations. For the implementation of the co.LAB framework in a web platform, we propose to convert the building blocks into "cards." Each card would constitute a collaborative working space for the design of the corresponding block. To make the framework adaptive, cards could be added, adapted, or removed according to the kind of serious game intended. Enhancing the visualization of relationships between cards should support a systemic implementation of the framework. Conclusions: By offering a structured view of the fundamental design elements required to create serious games, the co.LAB framework can facilitate the design and development of such games by virtue of a collaborative, adaptive, and systemic approach. The different visualizations of the building blocks should allow for a shared understanding and a consistent approach throughout the design and development process. The implementation of the co.LAB framework in a collaborative web platform should now be performed and its actual usability and effectiveness tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The serum B‐cell maturation antigen (sBCMA) has been identified as a novel serum biomarker for patients with multiple myeloma. However, no study has yet established a reference range for sBCMA levels. Its levels were determined in 196 healthy subjects and showed a right‐tailed distribution with a median value of 37·51 ng/ml with a standard deviation of 22·54 ng/ml (range 18·78–180·39 ng/ml). Partitioning of subgroup reference ranges was considered but determined to be irrelevant. A non‐parametric method using the median ± 2 standard deviations suggests using a universal reference interval of <82·59 ng/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Serum B‐cell maturation antigen (sBCMA) is a novel biomarker for B‐cell malignancies. A normal reference range (<82·59 ng/ml) has been recently established but the impact of achieving normal levels to outcomes for patients receiving treatment for B‐cell malignancies has not been studied. We first found that among multiple myeloma (MM) patients starting a new treatment, those who begin treatment within normal sBCMA limits (<82·59 ng/ml) have improved progression‐free survival (PFS; P = 0·0398) and overall survival (OS; P = 0·0217) than those who do not. Furthermore, among patients who begin treatment with elevated (≥82·59 ng/ml) sBCMA levels, we assessed the relationship of a decrease in sBCMA to the normal range to OS and found that those who normalize sBCMA demonstrated improved OS (P = 0·0078). Normalizing patients also experienced a markedly improved overall response rate (P < 0·0001). Moreover, all patients who achieved complete remission (CR) showed normalization of sBCMA, and time to normalization (median 0·9 months) was faster than time to CR (5·0 months; P = 0·0036) for these patients. These results suggest that normalization of sBCMA may be an accurate predictor of OS for MM patients during treatment and predict for a higher likelihood of response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]