Game Based Learning to Reduce Carbon Foot Print

Abstract

Technology in the classroom is changing the way educators teach. When a serious game is combined with a pedagogical learning strategy the probability of learning and synthesizing new concepts can become much greater. In this work we take the concept of learning about one’s carbon footprint and combine it with the step by step process of Bloom’s Taxonomy, a proven and well-established learning method, and incorporate it into a serious game. The objective is to demonstrate that learning in this way will result in higher learning motivation and a better understanding of the subject matter. In the game the player needs to reduce their carbon footprint in an office building. Unlike in a traditional classroom where the student is only a receiver of knowledge, in this serious game the student has a more direct experience of the subject, eliciting good decision making and improving subject comprehension.