Videogames and virtual reality as effective edutainment tools

Abstract

This paper describes a new edutainment-based teaching approach aimed at fostering students' engagement in the classroom at university and college levels. The approach, designed to comply with Bologna declaration's regulations and requirements, relies on the intensive use of multimedia computer tools, notably videogames and virtual reality technology, as the appropriate means to motivate students and make the courses amusing and engaging. The paper presents and analyzes a case study: the application of our approach to an introductory Computer Graphics course for junior Computer Science students at the University of Cantabria, discussing some important educational issues related to our approach and showing several examples of typical projects carried out during the course. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.