This paper reports the results of an online survey done by Global Game Jam (GGJ) participants in January 2012. This is an expansion of an earlier survey of a local game jam event and seeks to validate and extend previous studies. The objectives of this survey were collecting demographic information about the GGJ participants, understanding their motivations, studying the effectiveness of GGJ as a learning and community-building experience, and understanding the process used by GGJ participants to make a computer game in extremely limited time. The survey was done in two phases: pre-jam and post-jam. Collectively, the information in this survey can be used to (1) plan different learning experiences, (2) revise the development process for professional and academic projects, and (3) provide additional elements to game jams or change their structures based on the participants' comments to make them more fruitful.

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Game jams are events that allow game designers to develop innovative games in a time-constrained environment, typically within a 48-hour period during a weekend. Jams provide participants an opportunity to improve their skills, collaborate with their peers, and advance research and creativity in the field of game design. Having coordinated numerous jams locally and as one of the largest venues in the world for GGJ 2011, the authors present learned lessons on how to make these events into amazing collaborative opportunities and their results from research in surveying game jam participants before and after the authors’ most recent jam weekend.

UNDERGRADUATE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING COURSESComputer science courses have utilized real-world, customerdriven projects with mixed success for years. There is a large body of anecdotal and empirical evidence to support the idea that students learn via authentic customer interactions in database, software engineering, and other computer science courses. This paper demonstrates that such real-world projects are also applicable to Information Technology classes. By allowing students to apply the theoretical principles learned in prerequisite courses, they are able to solidify and deepen their knowledge of project management, customer relations management, requirements elicitation and management, software development, human-computer interaction (specifically interface design), database technology, communication skills, testing, debugging, and system design. Results from over 50 projects involving over 300 students and spanning seven years of courses are presented and analyzed; these projects range from traditional Windows projects to dynamic, data-driven Webs and cutting-edge projects involving PDA and TabletPC applications. The author was involved in Computer Science Software Engineering and programming courses and then transitioned into the field of Information Technology Education; consequently, the results span the domains of CS and IT education and present a convincing argument that group-based, authentic projects that involve developing solutions for real-world customers benefit Information Technology courses and students. Issues such as appropriate project scope, suggested milestones, reasonable project structure, and how to assign students to teams are discussed. A lightweight process is also provided to assist the reader in applying the recommendations with minimal effort.

is the Coordinator for the Center of Applied Gaming and Media Arts (CAGMA) and Coordinator of the computer game design and development degree and Associate Professor, School of Computing and Software Engineering at Southern Polytechnic State University. He has authored more than 40 papers in conferences and journals regarding computer science, information technology, and gamesrelated learning. He is particularly interested in game simulation, social space development, and the use of these technologies to improve learning. Preston has been teaching computing for 13 years and has taught game development courses over the past six years, including a mobile and casual game development class in which students develop games for Android and the iPhone/iPad platforms. He led the development of the bachelor's of science in computer game design and development degree at SPSU and was also the Founder of the Center for Applied Gaming and Media Arts at SPSU. In the past two years, Preston has hosted four game jam weekends (two of which were part of the Global Game Jam) totaling more than 20 games developed by more than 120 participants. Preston also serves on the Academic Committee of the Georgia Game Developers Association and is currently the College Fair Coordinator for the 2010 Southeastern Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo. He also participates on the Entertainment Engineering Subcommittee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Preston's industry experience includes system development for a mobile platform and media company. He has participated in gamesfor-learning and community building grants to enhance STEM education and was recently awarded an NSF grant entitled "Using a Virtual Gaming Environment in Strength of Materials: Increasing Access and Improving Learning Effectiveness" that develops 3D simulations/games to improve learning among engineering students. Additionally, he has spoken at two recent NSF-sponsored workshops on gaming in engineering and computer science education and how to vertically integrate student teams in games for learning projects.