MATSUE, JAPAN – Researchers from the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS) attended the 31st International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE) 2023 from December 4 to 8, 2023 in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The ICCE 2023 is a flagship conference series of the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (APSCE), and the theme was “designing new technologies for education in a big social change world.” ICCE 2023 was conducted fully on-site, after a few years of being conducted online in 2020-2021 and hybrid in 2022.

Pre-conference workshops were held from December 4 to 5, 2023. Said workshops covered themes such as innovative technologies in education, ICT trends and learning analytics. The papers authored by ALLS researchers presented during the workshops were the following:

1. The 11th Workshop on Technology-Enhanced STEM Education

AquaFarm Ace: A Game on the Intensive Aquaculture Process of Oreochromis niloticus by Gerick Jeremiah Niño Go and Angela Nicole Yap

AquaFarm Ace is a 2D Time-Management simulation game on the intensive aquaculture process. The player takes the role of an aquaculturist as they go through the various stages of aquaculture. The game showcases hatchery, transportation, grow-out, and brood stock stages in the aquaculture stages of Oreochromis noliticus. This study aims to contribute to the scholarly community of aquaculture and serious game design with its results showing that AquaFarm Ace contributes to raising awareness of aquaculture and can play a key role in highlighting its increasing demand in the aquatic scene in the Philippines to alleviate the socioeconomic problems such as food and job security.

2. The 12th International Workshop on ICT Trends in Emerging Economies (WICTTEE 2023) 

Factors Affecting Sustainable Use of Minecraft-based Lessons Dominique Marie Antoinette B. Manahan and Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo

The study examined the factors that affect the sustainable use of Minecraft-based lesson plans. The teachers cited logistical impediments, scheduling impediments, lack of technical resources, lack of curricular alignment, changes to teaching modalities, limited time for practice, and anxieties about classroom management as barriers to sustainable use of WHIMC.

Main Conference

ALLS presented a variety of studies during the main conference which was held from December 6 to 8, 2023. Joseph Benjamin Ilagan, Jose Ramon Ilagan, and Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo (or Dr. Rodrigo) presented a paper entitled An agent-based modeling and simulation tool as a learning aid for diffusion of innovations. The study explores the use of agent-based model simulations and a conversational intelligent tutoring system front-end to teach the concept of diffusion of innovations to technology entrepreneurship students. A related study by the same authors featuring a chatbot prototype for evaluating student tech startup ideas using a large language model was accepted under the workshop on The Applications of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in Education. This study is part of a larger study on the use of conversational tutors and computer simulations, which was also presented as part of the conference’s doctoral student consortium (DSC), a venue where PhD students can seek valuable feedback from experts in domains involving computer use in education. Clarence James Monterozo and Dr. Rodrigo presented the study entitled Do the Same Rules Apply? Transferring MOOC Success Behaviors to University Online Learning. The study replicated the methods and findings of a study on the behaviors of successful completers of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to university online learning students. Specifically, it studied discussion forum behaviors commonly associated with completion in MOOCs. In the work Preparation for Future Lockdowns: A Comparison of Student LMS Activity During and After COVID-19 by Ezekiel Adriel Lagmay and Dr. Rodrigo discussed how student activity on Canvas changed when onsite classes resumed. Dr. Rodrigo, Jonathan Casano, and Mikael Fuentes presented a poster entitled Relationship between Students’ Minecraft Re-engagement Metrics and STEM Interest. This was a continuation of the series of studies that ALLS has been undertaking regarding Minecraft’s capacity to stimulate student interest in science and engineering. The poster found no relationship between indicators of re-engagement with Minecraft and with results of a STEM interest questionnaire. Finally, Dr. Rodrigo and Christine Lourrine Tablatin presented one short paper entitled Visual Attention Patterns in Processing Compiler Error Messages. This was, again, the continuation of a larger study on novice programmer attention patterns, as measured using eye tracking. The study found that high- and low-performing students exerted similar visual attention to compiler error messages but the former tended to spend more effort than the latter on the actual line with the error.

In photo: Dr. Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo given her speech as the incoming APSCE president and as the ICCE 2024 conference chair

There were hundreds of other studies presented by various researchers and educators from 26 countries during the conference, which had the themes of artificial intelligence, computer-supported collaborative learning, gamification and technology enhanced language learning, among others. 

The ALLS team not only shared their research but also immersed themselves in a symphony of global perspectives. This gathering wasn’t merely an exchange of ideas; it was a harmonious convergence of minds, fostering connections that transcended borders. Amidst this scholarly event, the team found not only answers but also new questions, kindling a flame of inspiration to explore uncharted realms in education. The conference wasn’t just a venue; it was a crucible of wisdom, igniting a passion to innovate and illuminate the path forward for education on a global scale.

The conference ended with the introduction of Dr. Rodrigo as the incoming APSCE President, and the invitation to ICCE 2024 which will be held in Manila, Philippines.

For more information about the ICCE 2023, visit https://eds.let.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ICCE2023/

On December 4, 2023, the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS) was a guest speaker and workshop facilitator for Ayala Foundation × ProFuturo Project conference entitled “Learning Beyond Borders: The Power of E-ducation” to share our work of using the What-if Hypothetical Implementations in Minecraft (WHIMC) in classrooms!

ALLS’ partner teacher Ms. Louise Tulayba facilitates the WHIMC Education workshop

Public school teachers from the MIMAROPA region were able to attend the talk and workshop, where they were introduced to Minecraft and its possible integration to STEM learning using WHIMC.

A teacher participant tries exploring a WHIMC world using a tablet

Teacher participants try out WHIMC Education with the help of ALLS student assistants (on the right)

As part of the workshop, the teacher participants were given the opportunity to explore the WHIMC worlds through Minecraft Education where they explored a Rocket Launch Facility, Earth with a Colder Sun and Earth with Two Moons simulations. Then, they were given the space to share their ideas on how they can use WHIMC in their own contexts, factors that would hinder the implementation of a Minecraft-based lesson and solutions proposed to overcome said hindrances.

We thank Ms. Louise Tulayba for representing ALLS, our student assistants and the Ayala Foundation for this opportunity to share about our project!

Photo credits: Ayala Foundation

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – The Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences (ALLS), through its University Research Council (URC)-funded project entitled School Deployment of the What-If Hypothetical Implementations in Minecraft (WHIMC) organized a summer camp last July 25 to 26, 2023 for Grades 5 to 8 students wherein they explored the WHIMC worlds using Minecraft Java Edition.

WHIMC (What-If Hypothetical Implementations in Minecraft) is a collection of Minecraft worlds that aims to engage, excite, and generate interest and engagement in STEM through computer simulations. With this, the WHIMC summer camp allowed students to explore and interact with these WHIMC worlds to learn about topics in STEM, with the aim to create an educational
experience that nurtures a continuing interest in STEM.

Each day of the summer camp included presentations, discussions, and gameplays of each WHIMC world to explore. The camp had specific module topics which helped the students answer questions such as “What if the Earth had no moon?”, “What if the Earth had a colder sun?”, and “What are exoplanets?”

For the first camp day, the module focused on the exploration of a rocket launch facility and moon base. The participants had to “meet and talk” to the non-player characters (NPCs) in the WHIMC worlds assigned for the day and learn more about their roles and get information about the environment they were exploring. Based on the information they learned, the teacher-facilitator asked the participants to design their own moon base and choose the things they would need in order for the living things to survive.

The second camp day focused on the exploration of a What-If Earth simulation and the exoplanets. For the first part of the session, the participants got a glimpse of how the Earth and its environment would be given certain conditions (i.e. no moon). They were asked to compare the difference of the data gathered such as wind speed, temperature and oxygen from an “unaltered” or regular Earth to an Earth with no moon. Then, the creative work challenge for the participants was to draw a creature that could survive in a What-If Earth condition of his/her choice. Meanwhile, the second part of the session focused on learning about the concept of exoplanets and seeing how it looks like based on actual research gathered from astronomers. The participants were asked to observe the characteristics of the exoplanets they have explored and compare data such as its temperatures, tilt and radiation, to name a few. Then, the participants were challenged to create their own exoplanets and define its features.

A total of 19 students from different basic education institutions attended the 2-day camp held on-site at the Ateneo de Manila University. For more information about WHIMC and sample lesson plans, visit https://go.ateneo.edu/ALLSWHIMCPage.