Game Design Through Mentoring and Collaboration

Abstract

The findings from an after-school program entitled Game Design through Mentoring and Collaboration (GDMC) funded by the National Science Foundation’s Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. A total of 139 middle and high schools students in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to learn the basics of professional level 3-D modeling and animation software and logic of game design and programming. The features of this program create a community of students interested in, and skilled with, technology, to foster this interest around the task of designing computer games (and the associated skills of programming, 3D modeling involved), and to help foster awareness of higher education and career pathways related to their interest in technology. The findings show that this is a highly attractive program for our target population of students who are traditionally underserved and underrepresented in