Objectives: to develop and assess a serious game on healthy eating and physical activity to promote health and tackle childhood obesity. Method: a descriptive, applied and methodological study.For the development of the game, the following steps were taken: conceptualization, pre-production with the development of the game documentation, prototyping, production and assessment of thecomputer and health experts. Results:a prototype has been developed up to beta version. The game was positively assessed both in terms of gameplay and mechanics, and in relation to the content presented, standing out as a powerful strategy for health promotion. The information from the assessment phase contributed to the settings in the software in order to make it available in the future for the target population of this research. The greatest advantage of the proposed game is the fact that it is an open educational resource. Conclusions: the expert assessments showed that the game has great educational potential and it is considered suitable for future application to the target audience.The serious game can become a technological teaching resource available for use in schools and health facilities, and can also be reused for the production of other educational games by accessing its source code.

The Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) has introduced new possibilities to the Distance Education, making possible the adoption of innovative learner-centered pedagogical approaches based on interaction, collaboration, reflexion and knowledge construction. New possibilities has also been introduced to the online assessment, from traditional assessment, based on cumulative question and tests, to a more formative assessment aligned to these new pedagogical approaches. The online formative assessment is based on the continuous monitoring and regulation of learner participation throughout the learning activities development, aiming to support the learning process based on the adopted pedagogical approaches.The experience in online courses based on collaborative and constructionist learning activities and on these activities formative assessment has revealed that this assessment approach is even more important in Distance Education, since it helps on the learners' behaviour perception as well as on the problems identification, making possible more effective advice in the time of learning process, even at distance. Nevertheless, nowadays most Learning Management Systems (LMSs) does not present features designed to help this assessment approach. Thus, the educators need to take extra steps to monitor, to analyse and to advise the learning process. This scenario has been the main problem of formative assessment, at face-to-face as well as at distance practices.This doctoral thesis proposes a Formative Assessment Support Model for LMSs, aiming to reduce the formative assessment costs. This model is based on Perrenoud's Hadji's_[2001] researches and recommendations to formative assessment and on our previous practices in online formative assessment based on collaborative and constructionist learning activities. The technological support is based on a multiagent system (MAS) that provides support to formative assessment in LMSs, exploring the possibility of saving all interactions in online courses for later analysis. The model acts on two complementary ways: (1) by supporting the planning of learning activities to be assessed as well as by supporting the educator on these activities participation regulation (grades and comments); (2) by reducing the amount of information to be analysed, helping the educator on relevant information recovery and analysis for participation regulation, according to the criteria defined at each learning activity assessment planning.

This paper presents a model designed to provide formative assessment support in LMSs. Our model has pedagogical basis on Assessment Research studies and maps concepts and recommendations from this area onto Distance Education domain. A multi-agent architecture is presented as the basis of a technological solution defined for the proposed model.In addition, considerations about an initial validation of the model are presented.

This study presents the DigesTower, a digital educational game, aimed for children, with the purpose of stimulating healthy eating and physical exercise in order to assist in combating the obesity in children. This article reports the game design process, as well as evaluating of the game by health care specialists. At the end of the process, we obtained the first functional version of DigesTower. The great advantage of the game is the fact that it is an open educational resource. The game was positively evaluated by experts and considered suitable for future application with the target public, standing out as a powerful strategy for health promotion.Resumo. Este estudo apresenta o DigesTower, um jogo educacional digital, voltado para o público infantil, com o objetivo de estimular a alimentação saudável e o exercício físico, a fim de auxiliar no enfrentamento da obesidade em crianças. Este artigo relata o processo de design do jogo, bem como a avaliação do mesmo feita por especialistas da área da saúde. Ao final do processo, obteve-se a primeira versão funcional do DigesTower. O grande diferencial do jogo proposto é o fato de ser um recurso educacional aberto. O jogo foi avaliado positivamente pelos especialistas e considerado adequado para a aplicação futura com o público-alvo, destacando-se como uma estratégia potente para a promoção de saúde.Os nativos digitais, ou seja, a geração que nasceu na era das tecnologias digitais, está acostumada desde a infância a navegar no ciberespaço e com uma linguagem

In recent years there has been an increase in research focusing on the effectiveness of using video games as educational digital resources that can contribute to the learning process at different levels, which has also subsidised the development of educational games. However, these games are mostly visual and not accessible to people with visual impairments. As an educational resource, it is essential that the design of educational games be conducted not only with a focus on the balance between playful and educational aspects, but also with a focus on including the largest number of people. This article, therefore, aims to describe the design, implementation and evaluation processes of an accessible version of the educational game Em Busca do Santo Grau, based on EduGameAccess-a set of recommendations that integrates educational, playability and accessibility aspects for people with visual impairments.