TY - JOUR
T1 - Shroomroot
T2 - an action-based digital game to enhance postsecondary teaching and learning about mycorrhizae
AU - Maddison, Julia Amerongen
AU - Kržić, Maja
AU - Simard, Sužanne
AU - Adderly, Christopher
AU - Khan, Samia
PY - 2018/1
Y1 - 2018/1
N2 - The majority of terrestrial plants associate with fungi in symbiotic resource-exchange relationships called mycorrhizae. Because of the importance of these mycorrhizal systems to ecosystem functioning, it is crucial that future resource managers and scientists have a solid understanding of mycorrhizal ecology. Limited interest of postsecondary students in plants and fungi compared with animals, combined with difficulties visualizing below-ground processes, present challenges for learning mycorrhizal concepts. To address this, we created the digital, plant-ecology-centric, action-based game Shroomroot for use in a second year, postsecondary Introduction to Soil Science course. We then assessed effects of Shroomroot on students' knowledge acquisition and engagement with the topic of mycorrhizal ecology using a pre- A nd post-test evaluation. Students' knowledge of mycorrhizal ecology increased significantly after playing Shroomroot, and tended to increase more for items related to Shroomroot gameplay than in rewards-based game content. Student engagement with mycorrhizal content tended to increase after gameplay. These results suggest positive potential for action-based, plant-ecology-oriented digital games in a postsecondary science curriculum. Furthermore, greater understanding of mycorrhizae has the potential to improve our multifaceted relationships with the ecosystems upon which we depend.
AB - The majority of terrestrial plants associate with fungi in symbiotic resource-exchange relationships called mycorrhizae. Because of the importance of these mycorrhizal systems to ecosystem functioning, it is crucial that future resource managers and scientists have a solid understanding of mycorrhizal ecology. Limited interest of postsecondary students in plants and fungi compared with animals, combined with difficulties visualizing below-ground processes, present challenges for learning mycorrhizal concepts. To address this, we created the digital, plant-ecology-centric, action-based game Shroomroot for use in a second year, postsecondary Introduction to Soil Science course. We then assessed effects of Shroomroot on students' knowledge acquisition and engagement with the topic of mycorrhizal ecology using a pre- A nd post-test evaluation. Students' knowledge of mycorrhizal ecology increased significantly after playing Shroomroot, and tended to increase more for items related to Shroomroot gameplay than in rewards-based game content. Student engagement with mycorrhizal content tended to increase after gameplay. These results suggest positive potential for action-based, plant-ecology-oriented digital games in a postsecondary science curriculum. Furthermore, greater understanding of mycorrhizae has the potential to improve our multifaceted relationships with the ecosystems upon which we depend.
KW - action games
KW - digital-game-based learning
KW - Ecology
KW - mycorrhizae
KW - soil biology
KW - symbionts
KW - undergraduates
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044976340&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1525/abt.2018.80.1.11
DO - 10.1525/abt.2018.80.1.11
M3 - Article
VL - 80
SP - 11
EP - 20
JO - American Biology Teacher
JF - American Biology Teacher
SN - 0002-7685
IS - 1
ER -