Improving Student Engagement, Achievement, and Motivation Using Game Design-Based Learning in Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Classes

Teaching and learning have been substantially impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic induced rapid shift to online and hybrid learning environments. Research has shown that this shift impacted student engagement, learning outcomes, teamwork/group dynamics, and the development of “soft” or professional skills. Although students and faculty have returned to in-person classes, teaching and learning has not returned to the pre-pandemic status quo. Thus, this study presents curricular methods developed and evaluated to enhance student engagement and learning. By providing students with more ownership of their learning and re-engaging them in the process, the students will find value in what they are learning and develop professional skills in their in-person interactions. In the new curriculum, students collaboratively developed their own games (board, dice, card, or computer) rooted in fundamental/technical concepts from the classroom. Over the course of the semester, they built a playable prototype of their game. At the end of the semester, the students were asked to provide a brief presentation of their game, relevant components, and relation to the fundamental geotechnical engineering concepts, and give an overview of the game play. Students then engaged in a friendly gaming session, playing all the games developed in the class. The results indicated that this approach intentionally allows students to explore their creativity while growing their technical competency and professional skills. In particular, (1) students took ownership of the learning process that stemmed from creating their own tools to engage others via future game plays; (2) the design and development process improved goal-setting skills among students; and (3) participation in group activities built leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.