2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

An Exploration of Game-Based Learning in Enhancing Engineering, Design, and Robotics Education via "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”

Presented at Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) - Use of Technology in Design Education

The concepts of “Gamification” and “Game-Based Learning (GBL)” have garnered increasing attention by educators as a pathway to improve motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes among their students. In the area of engineering education, however, the use of entertainment video games for GBL has received less enthusiasm, which may be due to difficulties in identifying games that could reasonably provide authentic and relevant learning experiences for students. In the Fall Semester of 2023, we developed and offered a new second-year undergraduate engineering course that was designed to leverage the video game, “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (Nintendo, 2023), as a virtual platform for students to design, prototype, and test mechanical systems, including bioinspired amphibious robots and aerial catapults. We evaluated the efficacy of the course by examining the results of two machine design projects completed by the students, conducting and analyzing student surveys, and assessing student feedback. The results revealed the potential of GBL in cultivating interest and skill in STEM-related fields, suggesting that integrating entertainment video games that involve engineering-relevant gameplay into the curriculum can help to engage students and enhance proficiency. Although this initial study comprised only a single semester with a limited sample size of students due to resource constraints, the approach and results serve as an important milestone in exploring the use of a popular video game as a unique means to enhance student learning and, ultimately, expand the horizons of pedagogical strategies for engineering education.

Authors

Prof. Ryan D. Sochol University of Maryland [biography]

Dr. Ryan D. Sochol is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering within the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prof. Sochol is a Fischell Institute Fellow within the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices and an Executive Committee Member of the Maryland Robotics Center, and also holds affiliate appointments in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the Institute for Systems Research. Prof. Sochol directs the Bioinspired Advanced Manufacturing (BAM) Laboratory, which pioneers micro/nanoscale additive manufacturing or ``3D Printing" approaches to solve mechanically and physically complex challenges, with an emphasis on biomedical applications. Prof. Sochol has developed and teaches two courses: (i) a dual undergraduate-graduate-level ``Additive Manufacturing" course, and (ii) an undergraduate-level course, entitled ``The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Machine Design". Prof. Sochol received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 2006, and both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2009 and 2011, respectively, with Doctoral Minors in Bioengineering and Public Health. Prof. Sochol’s postdoctoral training spanned the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Tokyo. Prof. Sochol received the U.S. National Science Foundation ``CAREER" Award in 2020 and the ``Early Career Award" from the Institute of Physics Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering in 2021, and was honored as an inaugural ``Rising Star" by the journal, Advanced Materials Technologies, in 2023.
Dr. Mohammad Fazelpour University of Maryland [biography]

Dr. Mohammad Fazelpour is a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. He joined the university in 2017 as an assistant clinical professor and research educator for the Designing Innovation Research Stream, where he advises first-year and sophomore students on design research methodologies. Dr. Fazelpour developed two project-based courses aimed at teaching students design and design research. In 2018, he transitioned to the Department of Mechanical Engineering to teach design-related courses, including computer-aided design and machine design. Additionally, he introduced a new course focused on design for manufacturing and assembly. Dr. Fazelpour's active engagement in professional organizations includes membership in ASME and ASEE. He has held various leadership positions within the ASME Design Education Committee from 2019 to 2023, including roles as program chair and committee chair. His research interests primarily focus on design education and pedagogy.

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