Serious Games

The aim of the course is to equip students with comprehensive knowledge and a deep under-standing of digital and serious games, empower-ing them to critically assess and effectively utilize serious games to achieve specific learning out-comes in open education.

Upon completion, students will develop the fol-lowing competencies:
• Through understanding of the role and appli-cation of learning games in education and training;
• Awareness of key considerations such as target audiences, platforms compatibility, cul-tural sensitivities and ethical implications
• The ability to critically asses, select, and de-sign educational games that align with the goals and demands of open education;
• The capability to identify and implement edu-cational games that best suit learning scenari-os in academic, corporate or other formal or non-formal educational settings.

Students should possess a foundational understanding of the key concepts, strategies and didactical models related of to open education.
They should be proficient in using computer supported tools for content creation and design, as well as communication and collaboration platforms. Additionally, they should be able to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams.

• Introduction to game-based learning &
Theoretical models
• Applications & Case-studies in educational games
• Design principles & Tools for serious games, collaborative and personalised learning with games in Open Education;
• Ethics, rhetoric, and critical assessment in serious and educational games
• Project development - Prototyping an educational game
• Project presentation & Critical reflection

The following topics will be explored in more detail:
1) Game Concepts and Learning Models
2) Game Mechanics, Narrative, and User Experience
3) Real-world Applications of Serious and Educational Games
4) Ethical Considerations in Serious and Ed-ucational Games
5) Platforms and Tools for educational Games Development
6) Project management, Development, Pro-totyping and Design in Serious Games
7) Collaborative & Personalized learning with Games in Open Education
8) Critical assessment

Upon competing this course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the theoreti-cal foundations, key features, terminology, and taxonomy of digital games;
• Be able to critically evaluate a variety of games through hands-on experience
• Analyze and assess the relationship between games, play and learning within both in formal and non-formal educational contexts;
• Design innovative strategies for integrating into their own professional practice.

Basic:

• Mougard, N. (2019). Fundamentals of Serious Games. In B. Akhgar (Ed.), Serious Games for Enhancing Law Enforcement and Emergency Management (pp. 17–35). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29926-2_2
• Schrader, C. (2023). Serious Games and Game-Based Learning. In: Zawacki-Richter, O., Jung, I. (eds) Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2080-6_74 E-gradivo
• Liberona, D., Ahn, S., Lohiniva, M., Garate, P., Rojas, C. (2021). Serious Games Usage in Higher Education, Experiences and Guidelines. In Uden, L., Liberona, D. (eds) Learning Technology for Education Challenges. LTEC 2021. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1428. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81350-5_12
• Zhonggen, Y. (2019). A meta-analysis of use of serious games in education over a decade. International Journal of Computer Games Technology, 2019, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4797032 E-version
• Alvarez, J., Irrmann, O., Djaouti, D., Taly, A., Rampnoux, O., & Sauvé, L. (2019). Design games and game design: Relations between design, codesign and serious games in adult education. In S. Leleu‐Merviel, D. Schmitt, & P. Useille (Eds.), From UXD to LivXD (1.a ed., pp. 229–253). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119612254.ch11
• Maxim, R. I., & Arnedo-Moreno, J. (2025). Identifying key principles and commonalities in digital serious game design frameworks: Scoping review. JMIR Serious Games, 13, e54075. https://doi.org/10.2196/54075 E-version
• Kalmpourtzis, G., & Romero, M. (2020). Constructive alignment of learning mechanics and game mechanics in Serious Game design in Higher Education. International Journal of Serious Games, 7(4), 75–88. https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v7i4.361 E-version
• Shum, L.C., Rosunally, Y., Scarle, S. et al. Personalised Learning through Context-Based Adaptation in the Serious Games with Gating Mechanism. Educ Inf Technol 28, 13077–13108 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11695-8 E-version
• Van Rozen, R. (2025). Live game design: Prototyping at the speed of play. Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1145/3723498.3723726 E-version
• Silva, F. G. M. (2020). Practical Methodology for the Design of Educational Serious Games. Information, 11(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/info11010014 E-version
• McCall, R., Baillie, L. (2017). Ethics, Privacy, and Trust in Serious Games. In: Nakatsu, R., Rauterberg, M., Ciancarini, P. (eds) Handbook of Digital Games and Entertainment Technologies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-50-4_37
• Mitsea, E., Drigas, A., & Skianis, C. (2025). A Systematic Review of Serious Games in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, Immersive Technologies, the Metaverse, and Neurotechnologies: Transformation Through Meta-Skills Training. Electronics, 14(4), 649. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14040649 E-version

Additional:

• Bates, T. (2022). Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning. BCcampus. E-version
• Dimitra, K., Konstantinos, K., Christina, Z., & Katerina, T. (2020). Types of Game-Based Learning in Education: A brief state of the art and the implementation in Greece. The European Educational Researcher, 3(2), 87-100. https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.324 E-version
• Dimitriadou, A., Djafarova, N., Turetken, O., Verkuyl, M., & Ferworn, A. (2021). Challenges in serious game design and development: Educators’ experiences. Simulation & Gaming, 52(2), 132–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878120944197
• Contreras-Espinosa, R. S., & Gómez, J. L. E. (2020). How the use of game elements in education affects student engagement during game-based learning activities. Journal of Information Technology Research (JITR), 13(1), 138-148. https://doi.org/10.4018/JITR.2021010108
• Carrión-Toro, M., Santorum, M., Acosta-Vargas, P., Aguilar, J., & Pérez, M. (2020). Iplus a user-centered methodology for serious games design. Applied Sciences, 10(24), 9007. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10249007 E-version
• Moon, J., Lee, U., Koh, J. et al. Generative Artificial Intelligence in Educational Game Design: Nuanced Challenges, Design Implications, and Future Research. Tech Know Learn 30, 447–459 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-024-09756-z E-version

• Continuous assessment includes: in-terim presentations, practical work; peer- and self-evaluation.

• Final project submission: application of theoretical concepts and practical skills acquired during the course

Dr. Imre Cikajlo, je redni profesor za področje elektrotehnike, je zagovarjal doktorat znanosti na po-dročju robotike in elektrotehnike na Univerzi v Ljubljani leta 2003. Od leta 2003 do leta 2004 je bil podoktorski raziskovalec na Univerzi Tohoku v Sendai, na Japonskem in leta 2007 gostujoči razis-kovalec na Univerzi v Tokiu, Japonska. Trenutno je dekan Poslovno-tehniške fakultete Univerze v Novi Gorici in višji znanstveni sodelavec na Univerzitetnem rehabilitacijskem inštitutu v Ljubljani. Dr. Cikajlo je sodeloval pri več projektih 7. okvirnega programa EU-(GENTLE/S, MIMICS, COR-BYS), Interreg (REHA2030) in H2020 (PD_manager) in inovativnih projektih za startupe (MindMyths Ltd) in gospodarstvo (Gorenje). Objavil je več kot 70 znanstvenih člankov, skupaj več kot 200, 5 poglavij v tujih znanstvenih monografijah. Je soavtor mednarodnega patenta v EU in ZDA. Leta 2000 je prejel Prešernovo nagrado na Fakulteti za elektrotehniko Univerze v Ljubljani. Njegova raziskovalna področja so analiza in sinteza gibanja ljudi in strojev, biomehanika, povezovan-je senzoričnih informacij, nadzor nad strojem in človekovim gibom in rehabilitacijska robotika. Tre-nutno se ukvarja z razvojem rehabilitacijskih pripomočkov in postopkov, ki se uporabljajo v kli-ničnem in / ali domačem okolju z uporabo telerehabilitacijskih tehnik ter uvajanje virtualne resničnosti v rehabilitacijo. Je tudi član ISVR, IFMBE in IEEE.

Dr. Imre Cikajlo, is a full professor of electrical engineering and received his PhD degree in robotics and electrical engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2003. From 2003 until 2004 he was a post-doc fellow at the Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan and in 2007 a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Currently he is the Dean of the School of Engineering and Manage-ment at the University of Nova Gorica and a Senior Research Associate at the University rehabilita-tion institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Prof. Cikajlo took part in several EU-FP7 projects (GENTLE/S, MIMICS, CORBYS), Interreg (REHA2030) , H2020 (PD_manager) and startup (MindMyths Ltd.) and company supported projects (Gorenje). He published more than 70 journal papers, altogether more than 200 papers, book chapters and books and holds a patent in EU and USA. In 2000 he re-ceived the Prešeren Award from Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. His re-search interests include human motion analysis and synthesis, biomechanics, integration of sensory information, control of machine and human movements and rehabilitation robotics. Currently he is involved in the development of rehabilitation devices and procedures that may be used in clinical and/or home environment through application of telerehabilitation techniques and introduction of vir-tual reality in rehabilitation. He is also a member of ISVR, IFMBE and IEEE.

Izbrane objave/Selected bibliography:

• CIKAJLO, Imre, MITIĆ, Jovana, BURGER, Helena. The effect of weight-bearing training with visual feedback on balance and prosthetic loading in trans-tibial amputees following vascular disease : a pilot randomized control trial. Annals of medicine. 2025, vol. 57, iss. 1, str. 1-9, ISSN 1365-2060. DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2447408.
• WOHOFSKY, Lukas, KROLL, Laura Nadine, DRECHSLEROVÁ, Anna, SCHUBERT, Peter, CIKAJLO, Imre, BIZOVIČAR, Nataša, KRAINER, Daniela. Integrability of a comprehensive telerehabilitation approach for post-stroke patients and therapists : a feasibility study. Applied sciences. Sept. 2024, iss. 18, 2135, str. 1-14, ISSN 2076-3417. DOI: 10.3390/app14188407
• KATO, Yasuhiro, TSUJI, Toshiaki, CIKAJLO, Imre. Feedback type may change the EMG pattern and kinematics during robot supported upper limb reaching task. IEEE open journal of engineering in medicine and biology. Feb. 2024, str. 1-7, ISSN 2644-1276. DOI: 10.1109/OJEMB.2024.3363137
• CIKAJLO, Imre, HUKIĆ, Alma, UDOVČIĆ PERTOT, Anja. The size and behavior of virtual objects have influence on functional exercise and motivation of persons with multiple sclerosis : a randomized study. Scientific reports. Nov. 2022, vol. 12, art. no. 19375, 13 str.,
• CIKAJLO, Imre, HUKIĆ, Alma, ZAJC, Dejana. Exergaming as part of the telerehabilitation can be adequate to the outpatient training : preliminary findings of a non-randomized pilot study in Parkinson's disease. Frontiers in Neurology. [Online ed.]. March 2021, vol. 12, str. 1-11.
• TIMOTIJEVIĆ, Lada, CIKAJLO, Imre, et al. Designing a mHealth clinical decision support system for Parkinson's disease : a theoretically grounded user needs approach. BMC medical informatics and decision making. Feb. 2020, vol. 20, iss. 1, str. 1-21.
• POTOČNIK, Božidar, DIVJAK, Matjaž, URH, Filip, FRANČIČ, Aljaž, KRANJEC, Jernej, ŠAVC, Martin, CIKAJLO, Imre, MATJAČIĆ, Zlatko, ZADRAVEC, Matjaž, HOLOBAR, Aleš. Estimation of muscle co-activations in wrist rehabilitation after stroke is sensitive to motor unit distribution and action potential shapes. IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering. [Print ed.]. May 2020, vol. 28, iss. 5, str. 1208 - 1215,
• CIKAJLO, Imre, ŠPRAGER, Sebastijan, ERJAVEC, Tatjana, ZAZULA, Damjan. Cardiac arrhythmia alarm from optical interferometric signals during resting or sleeping for early intervention. Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, ISSN 0208-5216, 2016, vol. 36, no. 1, str. 267-275, doi: 10.1016/j.bbe.2015.12.006. [COBISS.SI-ID 2128233],