The trend of incorporating games into education has been steadily on the rise. Games, with their interactive, entertaining, fun, social, and participatory attributes, effectively bridge the gap between complex scientific knowledge and real-life experiences. Among various media forms, games, due to their interactivity, stand out as an exceptionally effective means of communicating science.
We have developed a biology educational game called "BioFrame Riddles". Through this game, our aim is to impart knowledge about synthetic biology and iGEM in an enjoyable and engaging manner. Our ultimate goal is to ignite an interest in biology and motivate more individuals to become involved in the field of synthetic biology.
1. Players are divided into multiple teams, each receiving an identical set of 30 images containing biological knowledge or related information before the commencement of each round. +
2. Preparation Phase: Players search for clues associated with numbers within the images (they are allowed to use their smartphones for research).
3. Each team selects a sequence number and takes turns presenting their findings to the referee. Within a 3-minute time frame, each team must deliver the images representing numbers 1-30 to the referee in the correct order. Failure to do so within the specified time results in game failure.
4. If all teams fail, the team that successfully completes the challenge proceeds to prepare for the next round. The game continues for multiple rounds, concluding when any one team successfully meets the challenge.
Our target audience for this event is those freshmen. They possess a basic understanding of biology and require further exposure to biological knowledge and the excitement of biological research before they become full-fledged researchers. With our game, we aim to engage them in the field of synthetic biology and attract more participants to iGEM.
Initially, the students were perplexed by the photos and corresponding clues they received, unsure of how to uncover the hidden numerical clues within the images. However, as the event progressed, they gradually discerned the patterns within the images and showcased surprising expertise in biology. After all teams successfully completed the challenge, we explained the synthetic biology knowledge concealed behind each photo to the students.
The trend of incorporating games into education has been steadily on the rise. Games, with their interactive, entertaining, fun, social, and participatory attributes, effectively bridge the gap between complex scientific knowledge and real-life experiences. Among various media forms, games, due to their interactivity, stand out as an exceptionally effective means of communicating science.
We have developed a biology educational game called "BioFrame Riddles". Through this game, our aim is to impart knowledge about synthetic biology and iGEM in an enjoyable and engaging manner. Our ultimate goal is to ignite an interest in biology and motivate more individuals to become involved in the field of synthetic biology.
This game was specifically designed for incoming first-year college students who are embarking on their university journey. Whether in their daily lives or studies, these students may experience a degree of confusion and uncertainty. Through this game, our aim is to provide these students with an early taste of university life's pace and deepen their understanding of their chosen field of study.
We carefully selected topics closely related to synthetic biology, such as "China's first artificial synthesis of bovine insulin" and "CRISPR-CAS 9," to impart knowledge about synthetic biology to the students and introduce them to the wonders of the synthetic biology realm. We also took into account the unique characteristics of these students—transitioning from high school to college, their thinking patterns have not yet fully shifted from the rigid mindset of high school to the more active thinking of college. This is why we opted to use this game as a means of knowledge transfer, with the hope of guiding them towards proactive information-seeking and continuous learning. Through this activity, we aim to help them grasp the learning patterns of university life and encourage them to fully leverage available resources to expand their knowledge base in their future studies.
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The repository used to create this website is available at gitlab.igem.org/2023/bnu-china.