The article begins by reviewing the theoretical bases for the contention that advanced computer-based educational gaming can provide powerful learning experiences, and overviews the limited research on the use of such games. Although studies to date have generally supported their value, most of the published investigations have methodological limitations. Critical process data are typically not collected, and unreliable student and teacher self-reports are heavily relied on in evaluating the educational efficacy of many games. To address these and other limitations, the authors have developed research software that can remotely and unobtrusively record screen activity during game play in classroom settings together with synchronized audio of player discussion. A field trial of this data collection system in which 42 college students were studied as they played a coursework-related Web-based learning game is described, and the article discusses how the trial outcomes concretely demonstrate the methodological advantages the tool offers researchers.Over the past two decades, competition for market share in the computer gaming business has spurred the development of ever more complex recreational computer games. 1 To capture and hold player interest, games are now being created that engage players in a wide range of potentially rewarding activities and challenges, requiring them to actively investigate the game environment and apply different problem-solving strategies. 2 Game play in genres such as role-playing, simulation, and real-time strategy now calls on considerable in-situ learning and the application of a range of cognitive and metacognitive skills. In addition, the increasingly popular genre of multiplayer games require players to employ social learning skills in

This paper presents the development of a new course at the University of Louisville in the area of microfabrication and MEMS. Funding was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The course teaches general microfabrication principles with an emphasis on MEMS, instead of traditional microelectronics.In this manner, the prerequisites are kept to a minimum, allowing the course to be offered to a broad and diverse student population. This approach allows the infiltration of microfabrication and MEMS into other disciplines, which is critical for their future development and evolution. The course is divided into a lecture and lab component. A working MEMS device, such as a pressure sensor or flow sensor, is designed, fabricated, and tested in the hands-on laboratory component. All of the class material and supporting documentation for the course is placed on the Web (http://mitghmr.spd.louisville.edu) for public access and dissemination. The course has been successfully offered twice and has been very well received by a diverse student group. Details of the development and operation of the course are provided.

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Eve Riskin received her BS degree in Electrical Engineering from M.I.T. and her graduate degrees in EE from Stanford. Since 1990, she has been in the EE Department at the University of Washington where she is now Associate Dean of Diversity and Access in the College of Engineering, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change. With ADVANCE, she works on mentoring and leadership development programs for women faculty in SEM. Her research interests include image compression and image processing, with a focus on developing video compression algorithms to allow for cell-phone transmission of American Sign Language.

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