Engineering

WHITE PAPER

A Game-based Learning Approach

to Information Literacy

Learn how Drexel University incorporated the Knovel Academic Challenge to improve students under-
standing of technical concepts, critical thinking, cognitive monitoring and creative problem solving.
In fall 2016, the newly revamped Engineering Academic Challenge will feature information literacy
challenges using Knovel and Engineering Village databases, with the intent to benefit academic
researchunite librarians and facultyand improve student research skills, through applied learnings
found in this whitepaper, featuring the 2015 Knovel Academic Challenge.
 Introduction
Authors: Daniel Christe1, Rishiraj
Mathur1, Savannah Lee2, Krzysztof Jay Bhatt, lead author on A Game Based Learning Approach and engineering librar-
Mazur1, Chris Badurek3, Jay Bhatt3* ian at Drexel University, serves on Elsevier's Academic Engineering Solutions Librarian
and Matthew Morton4 Advisory Board. Jay has played an integral role in the planning and launch of Elsevier's
fall 2016 Engineering Academic Challenge which incorporates both Knovel and
Engineering Village databases. In this whitepaper, Jay and his co-authors, detail the
benefits of game based learning within engineering at Drexel University as evidenced
by their collaboration on the Knovel Academic Challenge in the previous years.

Abstract
In this work, we investigate how online games can be used to promote information
literacy in engineering students. The Knovel database provides an online library of
Jay Bhatt science and engineering-focused content, serving more than 700 customers world-
Lead author wide, including over 400 universities. The Knovel Academic Challenge is a global game
designed to highlight key features of the Knovel database, which includes 3500 refer-
ence items and 90,000 interactive tables, graphs, and equations. In previous years,
challenge questions were comprised primarily of interactive equation references, unit
conversions, derivatives, and periodic table lookups. For the Fall 2015 challenge, a com-
mittee of students at Drexel University developed a brand new set of questions based
on contemporary engineering grand challenges. To generate on-campus engagement
in the challenge, we organized a hackathon-inspired Knovel Marathon night in which
a significant number of undergraduate and graduate students took part in solving the
Daniel Christe challenge, the vast majority using Knovel for the first time. We observed high levels of
Lead author engagement, interaction with library staff, and enthusiasm during the marathon, dem-
onstrating how games can be used to demonstrate key functionalities of databases and
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Mechanics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA library resources, and their application to academic research workflows.
2 Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Keywords: Information Literacy, Game-based Learning, Engineering
3 Drexel University Libraries, Drexel University,
Philadelphia, PA
4 Knovel, New York, NY
*Corresponding Author: Jay Bhatt | email:
[email protected] | tel: 215-895-1873

Engineering 2
 As the basis for life-long learning, information
literacy can be considered the core literacy of
the 21st century, a kernel for all other literacies.

Introduction
The digital natives (applied to those born after 1990) constitute the first generation to
have grown up with the Internet and various forms of digital technologies1. As the most
networked generation ever enters higher education, smartphones, text messaging, and
various social media platforms pervade their daily activities. Despite their unquestion-
able technological savvy, an expanding body of information literacy studies indicates that
most of these students lack fundamental information literacy skills upon entering higher
education2-5. The American Library Association (ALA) defines Information literacy (IL) as
 A set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed
and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively that information.6
Information literacy is not merely an academic concern. As the basis for life-long
learning, information literacy can be considered the core literacy of the 21st century, a
kernel for all other literacies7. The American Library Associations 1989 Presidential
Committee on information literacy called knowledge the countrys most precious
commodity and information literate individuals, thinkers, problem solvers, and
inquirersAmericas most valuable resources8. Citing a crisis of authenticity in
which anyone can instantly publish an unverified claim or perspective, President Barack
Obama proclaimed October to be National Information Literacy Awareness Month,
highlighting a key need for broad education in the skillset for separating signal from
noise and fantasy from reality9.

Engineering 3
 We explore how game-based learning strategies
can be applied to actively engage engineering
students in learning digital library search tools.

Most incoming college students exclu- digital natives presents an opportunity to

sively use familiar open web resources for revamp information literacy education in
finding information needed to complete new and engaging ways, creating active
assignments, e.g. Google searches and learning environments where students
Wikipedia lookups2, 10-13. Most search engage in meaningful dialog, interaction
engine users never use the advanced and exploration of various resources to
search functionality or look beyond page complete their assignments.
two of the results, assuming that the
Academic librarians have launched
search algorithm will always find the most
multiple efforts to address 21st century
relevant results for a given query14. While
information literacy needs of students
these approaches may have brought suc-
and faculty, such as the usage of elec-
cess in high school, this quickly creates
tronic resources. Several investigators19,
difficulty in successfully completing aca- 20
highlight the need for tapping student
demic writing and research assignments.
curiosity and intrinsic motivations to
It is broadly agreed upon that there is
inspire information literacy learning, mak-
a significant skills gap in information
ing it relevant to learners while equipping
competencies of incoming university
them with tools to explore their interests.
students15, such as identifying the type
In recent years, gaming has been pro-
of information needed, finding journal
posed as an engaging, interactive, and
articles, and developing advanced search
familiar (from the student perspective)
strategies16. This does not necessarily
way of structuring the learning experi-
render incoming students information
ence. Herein, we explore how game-based
illiterate, for they are demonstrating a
learning strategies can be applied to
capacity to find information that can be
actively engage engineering students in
further expanded. In the case of engineer-
learning digital library search tools, in
ing students, the incoming cohorts are
context of the global Knovel Academic
initially unaware of the vast information
Challenge, played by over 2000 students
resources and technical tools that enable
in 430 universities. We begin with a brief
university-level engineering research and
literature review of game-based learning
development, in the form of journal arti-
principles and approaches.
cles, technical standards, handbooks, and
material property databases11, 17. The tra-
ditional approach to information literacy
education is the one-shot method, in
which a faculty member invites a librarian
to a classroom to discuss discipline-
relevant resources and library services.
This passive learning experience creates
a latency between the time of instruction
and the actual usage of a library resource
and requires repeated contacts with
students to be successful18. The influx of

Engineering 4
 Game-based learning refers to the
application of game design principles
in real-life settings to engage players.

long-term benefits to players over short

term external rewards (e.g., a point sys-
tem), providing positive impressions of
out-of-game skills, in this case informa-
tion literacy. Striking an optimal balance
between extrinsic and intrinsic motiva-
tors is key in educational game design,
for it is the intrinsic motivators that drive
continued mastery of the learned skill in
non-game contexts22 and in the absence
of extrinsic motivators22.
In recent years, numerous digital and
non-digital game-based learning imple-
mentations have been reported in library
contexts18, 23-26, in physical and digital
forms. A University of Michigan team
developed Bibliobouts24, an online tourna-
Game-based learning ment style game which introduces players
Game-based learning refers to the to a specific set of information literacy
application of game design principles in skills needed in a research workflow,
real-life settings to engage players. In his from finding journal articles to assessing
2003 monograph entitled What Video their relevance and managing references.
Games Have to Teach Us About Learning Doing Research25, the online game
and Literacy21 James Gee initiated the developed by a University of Illinois group,
conversion on game-based learning, interactively guides students through the
drawing parallels between game design process of structuring of a search strategy,
principles and learning principles. The then allows students to pose their own
entry levels of a game pose challenges research topic and find a relevant article in
that are specifically designed to allow a digital database. Boudreau and Hanlan27
players to generalize a solution procedure describe a role-playing game in which
for subsequent more complex challenges. engineering students assume various
Each successive cycle produces mastery characters and lead a classroom reenact-
of specific skills throughout the game. ment of a historical engineering decision,
Good games are challenging but doable, using archival and digital research to
operating at the edge of the players skill. argue their positions. An immersive
Players receive situationally relevant virtual reality game Blood on the Stacks
information, just-in-time to further was created to increase student engage-
their goals in the universe of the game. In ment during new student orientation, in
some games, players become producers, which groups of students used digital and
building the world of the game further physical library resources to investigate
which relates to the pedagogical notion the theft of an Egyptian artifact from the
of active learning. Meaningful game- library [Donald, 2008].
based learning approaches prioritize

Engineering 5
 The Knovel Academic Challenge (KAC) is a global
game designed to demonstrate key features
of the Knovel platform, which includes 3500
reference items and 90,000 interactive tables,
graphs, and equations.

Knovel Academic Challenge

For engineers in particular, highly specialized technical information is often neither free
nor available on the open world-wide web. Knovel database provides an online library of
engineering-focused content, serving more than 700 customers worldwide, including
over 430 universities. The Knovel Academic Challenge (KAC)28 is a global game designed
to demonstrate key features of the Knovel platform, which includes 3500 reference
items and 90,000 interactive tables, graphs, and equations. In previous years, chal-
lenge questions were comprised of interactive equation references, unit conversions,
derivatives, and periodic table lookups. We postulate that learning modules must be
perceived as relevant in order to engage students in active learning. We also posit
that students collaborating with liaison librarians are well-suited to crafting engaging
library learning experiences18, 29.
In this context, a team of four Knovel student ambassadors at Drexel University, from
freshman to junior undergraduate students developed a set of nearly one-hundred
original questions for the 10th Knovel Academic Challenge over a two month span. We
partly based these questions on the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges
for the 21st Century, such as affordable solar energy, improving urban infrastructure,
and engineering the tools of scientific discovery30. Space exploration, advanced mate-
rials, robotics, data science, and autonomous vehicles were also included. Where
possible, questions integrated concepts from multiple disciplines. All questions could
be answered using multiple references in the database, relaxing the dependency on
particular institutional subscriptions and better reflecting actual usage of the database.

Figure 1. The user-interface and

example challenge questions. The
Knovel tookit on the left directs
players through Knovels functions.
Players receive instant feedback on
their responses, with a hint displaying
if the initial answer is incorrect.

Social media integration

Engineering 6
 Adopting a common game design ele-
ment21, questions progressively increased
in difficulty. The beginner stage required
the definition of a keyword, while the
intermediate stage required a lookup of
a single equation with perhaps a simple
calculation or a material property. The
advanced stage would constitute a
calculation question with multiple steps
involved or qualitative understanding
of a general concept cast in a context
different from the original presentation.
Players received instant feedback on their
answers, with a hint automatically display-
ing if an incorrect answer was chosen.
A toolkit on the left side of the interface
directly linked players to key features of
Figure 2. Leaderboard with university rankings.
the Knovel database needed in the chal-
lenge, as shown in Figure 1.

Marathon Night
High engagement levels were observed the learner and better reflected actual
during the Knovel marathon night hosted engineering usage of the database. The
on our campus, a hackathon inspired more difficult challenge questions recast
event hosted in the university library, engineering concepts into new settings,
including food, music, and prizes to such as a series of questions in which stu-
incentivize participation. Approximately 35 dents had to first reference fundamental
students attended, from undergraduate systems engineering principles within the
to PhD levelsall of them using Knovel database, then synthesize this information
for the first time. Four perfect scores were to envision the human body as a system.
recorded from this cohort, with an aver- We also included trivia-style questions
age of 14 points (out of 20 possible). Even asking for particular facts not readily
several non-engineering students played found through basic Google searches.
the challenge. Numerous participants
Game-based learning approaches that
during the marathon night described the
promote competition rather than collabo-
challenge as surprisingly addicting, with
ration in the learning environment may
one remarking I dont know why I care so
have the unintended consequence of dis-
much, but I do.
couraging certain students (e.g., minority,
We interpret these qualitative findings transfer, non-traditional, shy individuals).
to mean that students felt this experi- The Knovel Academic Challenge pits insti-
ence was unlike any prior library leaning tutions, rather than individuals against
experience, which in the Drexel College of each other, through a dynamically-updat-
Engineering is the traditional one-shot ing institutional leaderboard (Figure 1).
tutorial. We attribute the engagement This fosters a collective drive to perform
levels to several factors. The questions well on the challenge, promoting coop-
themselves were structured around con- eration and encouragement among peers.
temporary engineering challenges, such In our observations during the marathon
as the design of Elon Musks proposed night, the randomization element allowed
Hyperloop transportation system, for genuine collaboration, in which peers
autonomous vehicles, and space explora- would discuss the questions and formu-
tion. By designing the questions in this late search terms together, and divide the
way, they were perceived as relevant to task of searching the database.

Engineering 7
 Impact of the Global Knovel Academic Challenge
To assess the impact of the Knovel Academic Challenge, we gathered feedback from
students, librarians, and faculty from around the world. From 56 total responses, 49
(87.5% of respondents) indicated that the challenge had raised awareness and under-
standing of Knovels capability as a search engine. Two indicated that it had not, and
87.5% five were unsure if their understanding improved. Next, we provide in Table 1 a sam-
pling of student feedback on what they liked about the Knovel Academic Challenge.
of Respondents
Table 1: Student feedback on what they liked about the Knovel Academic Challenge.

Raised awareness and Please tell us what you liked about the Knovel Academic Challenge?
understanding of Knovel's
capability as a search engine I liked the fact that it offered interesting facts about real world problems

The questions were varied and allowed me to explore/learn about many different subjects/topics

I liked the variety of questions

Some questions were fun to answer

Learning different things and searching different fields of engineering

It was a fun challenge to look up solutions to problems which I might never otherwise
encounter and learn new things from it

I loved the challenge It made me work

Challenging to find the answers

Three major attributes emerge in the students responsesfun, challenging, and inter-
esting content about real world problems, which generally reflects the characteristics
of educational games done well. Through broad coverage of engineering disciplines,
we delivered an engaging and perceived relevant active-learning experience for engi-
neering and even some non-engineering students alike. We also asked students to
indicate what they learned through the Knovel challenge, a representative selection of
answers shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Noteworthy student responses on what they learned from playing the Knovel challenge.

Please tell us what the Knovel Academic Challenge has taught you.
How to make better searches

Interactive methods to problem solving

How to use Knovel as a tool

That Knovel is a great tool

How to refine search terms when looking for a specific phrase, concept

We want more challenges!

Capabilities of Knovel

Ability to search and re-search

Not afraid to make mistakes while searching for solutions

Engineering 8
 In response to the same question, librarians and faculty (Table 3) indicated that the
breadth of engineering topics covered enabled their efforts to introduce hundreds of
students at their institutions to the Knovel platform in a fun, engaging way.

Table 3: Feedback from librarians and faculty on three things learned from the Knovel
Academic Challenge.

Please tell us 3 things the Knovel Academic Challenge has taught you.
Engineering students in our school enjoy participating in the challenge

There has been new interest from engineering students and teachers

It is nice to see that you are providing activities for librarians and teachers

The easy and efficient approach of searching

The vastness of subject areas available in Knovel

The amazing utility of data search

The very wide range of topics covered by Knovel

The challenge also exposed players to the advanced search features in Knovel, such
as material property lookup and interactive equations. In designing the questions, we
purposefully made an effort to address contemporary topics in a broad cross-section of
engineering disciplines, which we deem a success based on this feedback.

Engineering 9
 Elseviers Knovel and Engineering Village 31

databases will partner to launch a new game,

the Engineering Academic Challenge, which will
integrate both products for the very first time.

Conclusion & Future Directions

Technological savviness alone does not produce a society of information literate, criti-
cal thinkers. The same technology that enables the rapid proliferation of unverified
information in the 24/7 news cycle also enables an unprecedented level of access
to the tools and resources to incorporate reputable information into daily decision-
making. As digital natives enter higher education, opportunity is ripe for development
of innovative and engaging approaches to information literacy learning. The Knovel
Academic Challenge constitutes a large-scale game-based learning approach facili-
tating active information literacy learning for science and engineering students.
Challenges of this nature could be used to augment or supplant traditional one-shot
library instruction for a wide range of library resources. We plan to explore the idea of
short informative videos directly paired with a set of challenge questions developed
based on game-design principles, facilitating instant feedback. Students completing
such modules could be given certificates in the form of a digital badge in information
literacy, shareable on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Moreover,
in 2016 Elseviers Knovel and Engineering Village31 products will partner to launch a
new game, the Engineering Academic Challenge, which will integrate both products
for the very first time, producing the added challenge of identifying the appropriate
database to efficiently solve a challenge question. Faculty and librarians can prepare
students for skillful, efficient problem solving through game-based learning. The expe-
riences outlined here provide further evidence that game-based learning approach
actively engages engineering students in applying core information literacy skills to
21st century engineering problems.

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Engineering 10
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Engineering 11
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April 2016