Scientix 11th SPWatFCL Brussels 18-20 March 2016: eCity

1. VIRTUAL CITY ENVIRONMENT FOR
ENGINEERING PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
2014-2015
http://ecity-project.eu
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN FUNDED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN
COMMISSION. THIS PUBLICATION REFLECTS THE VIEWS ONLY OF THE
AUTHOR, AND THE COMMISSION CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY
USE WHICH MAY BE MADE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN.© eeGeo
Virtual City
Design and manage your own city
Problem-based Learning
8 scenarios avaliable to engage into engineering

2. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
VIRTUAL CITY ENVIRONMENT FOR ENGINEERING
PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
2
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN FUNDED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN
COMMISSION. THIS PUBLICATION REFLECTS THE VIEWS ONLY OF THE
AUTHOR, AND THE COMMISSION CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY
USE WHICH MAY BE MADE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN.
PARTNERS
Instituto Superior
de Engenharia do
Porto, Portugal
University of
Thessaly, Greece
Fondazione Ikaros /
Santa Rita, Italy
University of Vigo,
Spain
Virtual Campus,
Portugal
University of
Valencia,
Spain
Ayas Naime Ali
Karatas Cok
Programli Lisesi,
Turkey

3. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Motivations
• The difficulty that secondary education students
have with Mathematics and other Science. This
prevents these students to follow a technical
academic path like Engineering.
• This is not due to lesser skills of these youngsters
but mostly due to wrong teaching strategies. We
cannot forget that this generation is the "net-
generation" or "digital natives”.
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4. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Goals
1. Design, develop and validate a pedagogical methodology,
supported by a city-development game engine (SimCity like).
2. A validated pedagogical methodology to integrate the eCity
platform in engineering schools
3. A motivational methodology to be used in secondary or vocational
schools to integrate the eCity platform as a complementary
activity for students to develop their interest and motivation
towards engineering
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5. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Target Groups
1. Students from secondary and vocational schools (initial levels) that
need to be motivated to follow and engineering or technical
academic career
2. Students from higher education in Engineering careers
3. Teachers/trainers from secondary and vocational schools which
will support their students and benefit from the eCity platform as
a complement to their teaching
4. Teachers from Higher Education and Engineering faculties that will
be able to tutor their students and complement their teaching
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6. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Problem-based Learning (PBL)
• Students develop their ability to go through a
problem solving process, usually based on real-
life situations.
• Engineering is one of the areas where PBL is a
valid learning alternative.
• Games can be instantiated for learning as they
involve mental and physical stimulation and
develop practical skills.
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7. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Analysis of Best Practices
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8. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Results: eCity Game Engine
• Windows
• Mac
• Linux

9. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Results: a set of 8 ready-available
problems
99
Energy
Distribution
Renewable
Energies
Internet Server
Providers
Mobile
Connection
Earthquake
Protection
Flood Protection Pollution Public
Transportation

10. HTTP://ECITY-PROJECT.EU
Results: Pedagogical and
Motivational Methodologies
• Students playing the scenarios as an introduction to topics or as
a motivation
• Engineering students themselves will develop new challenges
and problems, applying the concepts learned at higher
education
• Secondary/Vocational students will be solving the set of project-
developed challenges plus the new ones with the support of
engineering students
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11. Thanks!
Manuel Caeiro Rodríguez
Universidade de Vigo
manuel.caeiro@uvigo.es
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN FUNDED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN
COMMISSION. THIS PUBLICATION REFLECTS THE VIEWS ONLY OF THE
AUTHOR, AND THE COMMISSION CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY
USE WHICH MAY BE MADE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN.© eeGeo