This document discusses deploying and debugging educational games using e-learning standards. It explains how using standards improves reusability and interoperability. The eAdventure platform helps educators create games, add metadata for learning object standards, and debug communication with learning management systems. Educators can test games' standard compliance without a real LMS using eAdventure's offline debugging mode.

1. Deploying and Debugging
Educational Games Using e-
Learning Standards
Baltasar Fernandez-Manjon
Angel del Blanco, Javier
Torrente, Angel Serrano, Ivan
Martinez-Ortiz
balta@fdi.ucm.es

2. Introduction
 Games are effective tools for teaching-learning
 New trends in the serious games research trying to take more
advantage of their potential:
 New game mechanics
 Learning analytics with games
 Apply e-Learning standards in games
 ….
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3. Introduction
Why use games following e-Learning standards?
(well know) Improved reusability and interoperability
to protect the investment made in high
cost educational contents
Exploit the game’s educative features by an active
communication between games and LMS
Student’s tracking
Assessment
Adaptation
Change lesson flow
……
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4. Learning Object paradigm
 The Learning Object paradigm opened a broad range of
opportunities
 Distribution
 Sharing
 Reuse and interoperability
 Different standards deal with different interrelated aspects of
LO model:
 Packaging and delivery
 Tagging
 VLE-to-content communication
 Content sequencing
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5. [
Current e-learning standards
Tracking
Tagging Packaging Delivery Protocol Data Model Sequencing
IMS SS X
IEEE
SCORM COMMUNICATION X X
& DATA MODEL
(1484.11 family)
IMS CP X
IEEE LOM
IMS CC X
(1484.12 family)
IMS BLTI X
IMS LD X X
IMS SSP X
IMS LIS X
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6. Problems
So… let’s do it!!
 It’s technical complex process…
 Create XML documents to add metadata and content
structure
 Add specific XSD and DTD files
 Package together
 Execute games in web environments
 There are not a wide accepted standard that cover all the
features
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7. Problems
 … and even more when the content will
send/receive data
 Follow the selected communication channel
 Implement the API in the game
 Know the standard data model
 Study how the sent data can modify the lesson flow
 Besides, there are not a standard that deals with the game
integration in particular
So teachers and educators with limited technical background can
not participate….
…so tools that ease the process are needed
allowing to introduce experts in that matter
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8. eAdventure
 Educational game authoring platform
 Point-and-click games
 Educators oriented
 Specific educational features
 Assessment
 Adaptation
 Exportation as LO
 One game – multiple different LMS
 Easing the educators participation exporting games as LO
 Hiding technical details
 Export the same game in different formats with mininum
changes
 Debug the data interchange
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9. Standards supported in eAdventure
 Games as LO in eAdventure:
 IMS CP
 SCORM v1.2 and 2004
 AGREGA (Spanish repository)
 LAMS (IMS-CP with special communication and data model files)
 The educator only has to…
 Fill the meta data in a specific editor (only a reduced
version of those fields related with games)
 For games with active communication:
 SCORM: select the part of the data model
 LAMS: write it
 Select the standard in the exportation wizard…
 … and eAdventure will prepare all the needed files, fill the
XML, and prepare the engine to communicate with the LMS
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10. Debbuging games with <e-Adventure>
 Debug interface:
 Debug the game behaviour
 Test the communication protocol with LMS
 Two modes:
 Online and offline
 Give full control over communication protocol
 Sniff and log all events
 Attribute-value pairs exchanged and the function used
 Manual API calls
 Show assessment report in a pop-up
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11. Online mode
 Check if the game properly communicates with a back-end
LMS
 Reduce the creation-test cycle
 Explore how the standard actually works
 Reduce the learning curve
 Explore how the game outputs impact the sequence flow
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12. Offline mode
 Test the games with communication without needing to
deploy the game in a real LMS
 Even shorten more the creation-test cycle…
 API provider
 Developed in Javascript
 Same functionality as provided by SCORM 1.2 and 2004
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13. Case study
 Course to teach basic concepts of Windows 7
 Created in Moodle 1.9.5
 Using eAdventure game packaged as SCORM 2004
 The game assess the player behavior
 Short multiple-choice exam (5 right answer to be passed)
 These data is sent to LMS
 SCORM interaction for each answer
 eAdventure assessment report
 Also, general information is send
 Completion status
 Success status
 Score
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14. Case Study
 The course was used to train professionals in e-Learning
 How SCORM actually works
 How SCORM module in Moodle 1.9.5
 How the information that the game produces can be retrieved
from the LMS
 What are the more appropriate fields in the SCORM data model
for tracking students' interaction in games
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15. Conclusions
 New GBL research lines
 Connect games and LMS and make the most of the data
exchanged
 e-Learning standards in games
 Not obvious
 Work in progress… (ADL, Rusticci TinCan, etc…)
 How eAdventure tries to face it
 Reduce the technical barriers
 Ease the standard understanding (high level UI)
 Provide tools for debugging the communication
 Analyze and understand game packages developed by other authors
 The debugger will be available soon in the next eAdventure
release!!
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16. Questions
Open Code of e-Adventure at
www.sourceforge.net
More info
http://e-adventure.e-ucm.es
http://www.e-ucm.es
 Youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/eAdventureUCM
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