Paper Link: Storytelling and Simulation Creation

The paper reports on learning simulation creation through the simulation of engaging stories.

Abstract
When learning to create simulations, we rely on real systems to emphasize their importance on reality. However, for younger students, reliance on reality is not always engaging. Reality provides context, but students’ interest quickly fades. Through the use of four case studies, we explore the idea of having students create stories in order to engage them in learning to create simulations. Applying a narrative/story context provides a mechanism for learning and maintaining student engagement. Stories can be based on original/existing games, movies, or other sources rich in narrative. Our approach includes four components: create a game/story narrative; discuss, evaluate, and expand the narrative; implement the narrative into an animated storyboard; and implement the narrative into a simulation. Lastly, we briefly discuss the utilization of sounds on both the animated storyboard and the simulation. Future work will empirically explore the effectiveness of narrative storytelling for learning simulation creation.