1. UAA Spirit Quest Abstract Methods and Materials Introduction Results
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Kevin Bartlett
Supervisor: Dr. Kenrick Mock
University of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Abstract
Methods and Materials
The UAA Spirit Quest prototype aims to deliver a proof of concept web application built with a combination of database and web technologies such as MySQL, PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that will utilize the technique of gamification to motivate new students to familiarize themselves with campus resources that will aid in their college careers at UAA. The findings are that it takes relatively little internal logic to accomplish what is needed to create a web application in the style of a simple game, and what differentiates a “real” game and a college tool utilizing gamification, for the most part, is the narrative.
The technology used includes:
MySQL for the server-side database system.
PHP/JavaScript/JQuery/CSS/HTML for the client-side web application.
The benefit of MySQL is that it is very common and there is a lot of documentation and support available for it as it is the second most widely used database management system (solid IT gmbh, 2016).
PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML are some of the most common languages for web application programming, many of which are required for any web technology development (David Flanagan). HTML is needed for any web page, CSS will be necessary for any web UI, JavaScript was needed for on-page logic and user experience, and PHP was used for interacting with the server-side database system.
Introduction
Gamification is the use of game design techniques to increase interest, motivation, and engagement of a user in contexts other than gaming.
This project aims to create an application that will use gamification to facilitate UAA students' learning and success by sending them on “quests” to learn about the different resources UAA has to offer. Completing these quests will result in points connected to their student IDs that can be redeemed for real-world rewards such as discounted food, coffee, merchandise, etc.
Figure 3. Visit the Coaching Center Quest
Results
Motivation
The requirements of the Spring 2016 cycle of the project for the software team were:
A database to keep track of quests, users, quest completion of each user, the points acquired by each user, and the game state for each user.
Game logic written in PHP/Jquery/JavaScript to keep track of the user's game state and with which the database can be updated.
An intuitive UI (what constitutes intuitive for this project was defined by the client) written with PHP/HTML/CSS with which the user can interact with the underlying game logic.
Points and badges implemented as rewards for the user granted based on quests completed and requirements met.
All of which were met.
There are a number of motivations behind this project, most notable of which are:
Student Success: The primary motivation for creating this application is to facilitate student success at UAA.
Research in Academic Productivity: During the Summer Semester of 2016, there will be a study to determine the efficacy of the application in promoting the academic success of freshmen students. If the findings of this study show that students who use this application are indeed more successful in their academic performance, those findings might help the next motive behind the project.
Monetization: The code base of this application will be written in such a way so that it will be easily tailored to the learning goals of different schools, businesses, and organizations. Because of this, it will be possible for this code or development kit to be sold or licensed to these establishments, providing UAA with capitol off of this project from these sources.
Conclusions
This cycle of the UAA Spirit Quest project proved the feasibility of a small software application that can provide a game-like experience for new students of UAA to learn the ropes of educational resources within the outlined time frame.
The continuation of this project could potentially improve the quality of education provided by UAA and set an example for many other schools and institutions around the world.
Figure 1. Login Screen
Figure 2. Coaching Center/LRC Quest Line
Contact
References
Kevin Bartlett
University of Alaska Anchorage
Solid IT gmbh Retrieved from
Flanagan, D. JavaScript – The definitive guide (6. ed). p. 1.