TAECon, a web-based platform to promote STEM

Abstract

In this paper, we present TAECon, a web-based platform designed to support STEM promotion sessions carried out by the Polytechnic School of Girona's University at higher schools. The platform combines gamification, serious games, content editors, and automatic correction strategies in a single framework. TAECon is used to prepare game sessions that turn around a central story with eight main characters from different ethnicities and genders that have to recover their identification cards. Players working in groups or individually and in face-to-face or virtual sessions have specific editors to design and enter solutions of challenges (or problems) and enigmas (or subproblems) created by STEM experts using the content editors of the platform. According to the type of enigma correction techniques automatically evaluate responses and assign the corresponding reward. The platform has been used by more than a thousand students from fifty secondary schools. To collect the platform impressions more than 250 students answered a questionnaire and 17 secondary school teachers were interviewed. As reported by the information collected, the platform was appreciated by both students and teachers. Users enjoyed the challenges and the game sessions. To conclude, TAECon can be considered a good strategy to promote STEM.