The Discovery Learning Center is accepting proposals from faculty interested in designing a digital gaming-based, on-line version of an existing Purdue course for credit. The competition is open to all West Lafayette campus tenure-track faculty members. Applications from science, technology, engineering, and math are especially encouraged. Co-sponsored by the Center for Continuing Education and Conferences, the Games-to-Teach Competition will provide one award up to $150,000 to the winning team.
The competition is conducted in the following stages:
- Competition is announced March 1, 2007.
- An informational open meeting will be held March 9, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. in STEW 214A.
- Pre-proposals must be submitted by April 2, 2007.
- The top 5 semi-finalists will be chosen by April 15, 2007 and must submit a full proposal by June 1, 2007.
- The award will be made by June 15, 2007.
- The on-line gaming based course should be available for review in Summer 2008.
- Winners should expect to pilot the gaming-based, on-line course by Fall 2009.
The competition is open to all tenure track faculty at Purdue University's West Lafayette campus.
Teams may only submit one proposal for consideration. Participants can be a member of multiple teams, but principle investigator for only one team.
Entries will be considered a game if they involve an assigned challenge and employ some form of positive and/or negative reward system. Entries will be considered a serious game if they use these gaming attributes to overcome a designated problem, provide appropriate feedback to the user about his or her efforts, and accomplish the learning objectives of the course. A game must be designed to be used on PC's. It may be designed from existing games, but must not infringe on copyrights or trademarks.
Entries must not contain profanity or extreme violence. The selection committee has the right to decline material that they deem unfit.
The
evaluation criteria for proposals includes their potential for completion, the quality of design, art, and technical documents, the strength of the management plan, and the relevant experience of the team members.
Judges will be drawn from relevant academic units, Discovery Learning Center, Envision Center, and Continuing Education Leadership, and industry.
The Discovery Learning Center will award one team up to $150,000 to be used in the development of their proposed game.
This award can be applied to a variety of uses including, but not limited to:
- Faculty, graduate student, and undergraduate student stipends
- Equipment and supplies
- Other course development expenses that meet University guidelines
Preference may be given to proposals that include departmental, college, school, or industry cost sharing for faculty time and/or other relevant expenses. This potential cost sharing should be noted in the budget submitted with the proposal.