The majority of terrestrial plants associate with fungi in symbiotic resource-exchange relationships called mycorrhizae. Because of the importance of these mycorrhizal systems to ecosystem functioning, it is crucial that future resource managers and scientists have a solid understanding of mycorrhizal ecology. Limited interest of postsecondary students in plants and fungi compared with animals, combined with difficulties visualizing below-ground processes, present challenges for learning mycorrhizal concepts. To address this, we created the digital, plant-ecology-centric, action-based game Shroomroot for use in a second year, postsecondary Introduction to Soil Science course. We then assessed effects of Shroomroot on students’ knowledge acquisition and engagement with the topic of mycorrhizal ecology using a pre- and post-test evaluation. Students’ knowledge of mycorrhizal ecology increased significantly after playing Shroomroot, and tended to increase more for items related to Shroomroot gameplay than in rewards-based game content. Student engagement with mycorrhizal content tended to increase after gameplay. These results suggest positive potential for action-based, plant-ecology-oriented digital games in a postsecondary science curriculum. Furthermore, greater understanding of mycorrhizae has the potential to improve our multifaceted relationships with the ecosystems upon which we depend.
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January 2018
Research Article|
January 01 2018
Shroomroot: An Action-Based Digital Game to Enhance Postsecondary Teaching and Learning about Mycorrhizae
Julia Amerongen Maddison,
Julia Amerongen Maddison
5JULIA AMERONGEN MADDISON is a PhD student in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, and her email is jamerongenmaddison@uvic.ca.
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Maja Kržić,
Maja Kržić
4MAJA KRŽIĆ is an associate professor in Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and her email is maja.krzic@ubc.ca.
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Suzanne Simard,
Suzanne Simard
3SUZANNE SIMARD is a professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and her email is suzanne.simard@ubc.ca.
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Christopher Adderly,
Christopher Adderly
2CHRISTOPHER ADDERLEY is a data science professional and independent mobile application developer, and his email is cadderly@gmail.com.
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Samia Khan
Samia Khan
1SAMIA KHAN is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia, and Chair of Education at the School of Education and Social Work, University of Dundee, and her email is samia.khanubc@gmail.com.
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The American Biology Teacher (2018) 80 (1): 11–20.
Citation
Julia Amerongen Maddison, Maja Kržić, Suzanne Simard, Christopher Adderly, Samia Khan; Shroomroot: An Action-Based Digital Game to Enhance Postsecondary Teaching and Learning about Mycorrhizae. The American Biology Teacher 1 January 2018; 80 (1): 11–20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2018.80.1.11
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