This is a National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning (RETTL) supported project (NSF-2302815) in collaboration with Penn State University and Carnegie Mellon University.
The project focuses on model-based systems and production engineering (MBSPE) STEM discipline for (two-year and four-year) undergraduate students and graduate students in online and residential settings. The project activities will advance the knowledge of emerging technology-based learning environments by iteratively designing, developing, testing, deploying, and assessing 3D simulated game-based learning environments we call Adaptable Game-based, Interactive Learning Environments for STEM Education (AGILE STEM). The AGILE STEM learning environments will immerse the learners in complex three-dimensional (3D) simulated games with customizable and adaptive content according to the learner’s characteristics, self-regulated skills, and performance. The narratives and simulation models are inspired by real-world systems. The simulated game-based environments will enhance students’ understanding of complex systems concepts that are challenging to understand using traditional teaching approaches and will help build the much-needed skills for the US engineering workforce. The proposed emerging technologies do not necessarily need access to specialized equipment which eliminates barriers to scalability and border implementation and use. In addition, the project team is connected with an industry consultant and game design expert who will help create reality-inspired AGILE STEM learning environments that are aligned with industry needs as well as privacy issues and policies.
This video shows all the features of the current version.
This video shows the new Conveyor Belt Buffer
This video captures the addition of the levels and tutorial system
This video captures the addition of the avatar that moves around, all the lines working automatically, and how a video could be recorded of the facility
This video shows the current progress of the leveling system. By pressing 'R' the player can pull up a level screen, this can be adapted and put into whatever menu system we end up having in the future. Then when they click on a new level, it resets the current level with the bottles. Currently, it has the option for free play, which is all the lanes, two forklifts, and controls for everything. There is also level 1, which is basically what we talked about before with 1 lane with set speeds where the player only controls the orders from one forklift. As you can see it depicts the speeds to the player on the controls, but if they are disabled they are now greyed out.
The above video depicts the initial state of an ordering system. The player is able to press E in order to pull up an ordering menu, from here they can make a list of orders by choosing which of the three lines the order should go to, how many bottles the order should make in total, and how many bottles should be in each shipment. In this way, the player can control the rate at which bottles come into a line by having the forklift bring in as few or many bottles as the player wishes at a time. You can also remove orders before they are made by pressing the X next to them. Once the player is ready they can click the set order button. A forklift will then work to make the orders in the specified order. At this point, the system only works with one forklift moving at a time, but it will be made to handle two forklifts that move at the same time without colliding.
This video shows the control that the player has over the system once bottles are in place. At this point, the player can control the number of bottles that are released per minute into the conveyor line, the speed of the conveyors in meters per second, the number of bottles in wrapped packages, gates at buffer points, and the number of bottles that the forklift brings into the system at a time.