Computer games are scalable and engaging alternatives to traditional undergraduate mathematics homework

Abstract

AbstractExercise is essential for mastering mathematics, but it faces two major hurdles. First, students are often not motivated to do their homework. Second, checking traditional homework is a manual and labour intensive process that becomes harder to support as the number of students increases. We argue that computer games could alleviate both problems. In contrast to homework, students are willing to spend many hours playing video games. And because video games keep track of the gamers' performance, they offer a scalable solution to the problem of checking the homework. We describe an experiment to augment traditional homework with a computer game that we have developed for exercising the topics of symmetry groups in an undergraduate college course. We describe the mathematical background of the subject matter, how we have embedded the mathematics into the game, the empirical results of playing the game, and the insights we have gained from this experiment.Keywords: HomeworkVideo gamesSymmetry groupsTilingOrbifoldsDisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also. AcknowledgmentsPlease list any acknowledgments here.Notes1 The game is available as a Windows installation package [Citation4].Additional informationNotes on contributorsD. FaitelsonDr. David Faitelson received his Ph.D (2008) in Computer Science from the University of Oxford, UK. Currently, David is a senior lecturer at the Afeka Academic College of Engineering. David's research interests include the application of formal mathematics to the construction of correct software, computational biomimicry, and using computers to improve higher education.S. GulDr. Shai Gul graduated with a Ph.D in Mathematics, Discrete Geometry, in 2015 from the University of Bar-Ilan (Israel). In 2016 he took a position at Holon Institute of Technology (Israel) and is now a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics. Shai's research is in Discrete Geometry especially in plane covering problems. More recently, Shai founded the Lab for Designing Mathematics at H.I.T, where with the help of students from different disciplines they explore techniques for making abstract mathematics more tangible and accessible to non mathematicians.and M. ArieliMichal Arieli is an independent illustrator and designer, specializing in transmedia story-telling. She has earned her M. Des in Integrated Design from Holon Institute of Technology, Israel in 2021. She is currently a senior editor at Globes, a major Israeli financial newspaper.