Minecraft Design Build: Teaching Teamwork and Project Planning in a Virtual World
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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23
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41853
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41853
- Download Count
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623
Paper Authors
Olivier de Weck Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Olivier de Weck’s research is in the fields of Engineering Systems and Astronautics. He studies how new technologies and designs enable complex systems such as vehicles, missions, and industrial ecosystems and how they evolve over time. His group develops both quantitative theories and practical methods such as the Isoperformance approach, the Adaptive Weighted Sum (AWS) method for resolving tradeoffs amongst competing objectives, Time-expanded Decision Networks (TDN), and Generalized Multi-Commodity Network Flow (GMCNF) theory. Prof. de Weck has authored or co-authored four books, about 400 scientific articles and won thirteen best paper awards since 2004. His book “Engineering Systems: Meeting Human Needs in a Complex Technological World” was the 2012 bestseller at the MIT Press. In 2010 he received the Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising and in 2017 an MIT Teaching with Digital Technology Award. He is a Fellow of INCOSE, Fellow of AIAA, and a Senior Member of IEEE. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Systems Engineering, and more recently as Senior Vice President for Technology Planning at Airbus. Since 2019 he is the Faculty Co-Director of the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program, and since 2021 the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at MIT.
John Feiler Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kyra Tan-Tiongco Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reza Rahaman Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reza Rahaman is the Bernard M Gordon Industry Co-Director and Senior Lecturer for the MIT Technical Leadership and Communication Programs - the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP), the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program (GEL), the Graduate Engineering Leadership Program (GradEL), and the School of Engineering Communication Lab. Dr. Rahaman returned to MIT in 2018 after a 29 year career in the Consumer Packaged Goods, Pharmaceuticals, and Agricultural Chemical Industries.
Immediately prior to MIT, Reza was the Vice-president of Research, Development, and Innovation for the Specialty Division of the Clorox Company. In that role he was accountable for developing innovation strategies for a diverse set of businesses and ensuring robust technology roadmaps and innovation pipelines to deliver growth and profit targets for 45% of the Clorox Company portfolio ($2.7bn in net customer sales).
Among his businesses were Brita, Burt’s Bees, Glad, Hidden Valley Ranch, Fresh Step, and Kingsford Charcoal. Notable product platforms developed and launched under his leadership include Brita filter-as-you-pour, Burt’s Bees Natural Cosmetics, Glad Force Flex Plus and Force Flex Plus Advanced Protection (dual layer technology) and Fresh Step Clean Paws.
In addition to his passion for developing leaders, Reza is passionate about workplace equality and served on the Board of Directors of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the world’s premier nonprofit promoting LGBT+ workplace equality from 2016-2021. He and his husband James enjoy travel and hiking
Reza received his BSc.(Eng.) in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, University of London, and his MSCEP in Chemical Engineering Practice and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.
Christian de Weck Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In a time of online learning it is difficult to give students team-based experiences. This paper demonstrates how a virtual gaming environment can be used to teach project-based learning and teamwork using the Minecraft Education Edition. The positives, but also the limitations and challenges are summarized using both data and qualitative feedback from over 200 students in MIT’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP). Students were asked to build a virtual emergency shelter on the MIT campus according to strict requirements, and teams were scored both on the size of their facility, but also adherence to the promises they made upfront. We observed a 232% average improvement of scores between rounds 1 and 2 and this created a measurable positive impact on learning, despite the physical separation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this successful experiment most students still prefer in-person learning such as the traditional “Skyscraper” exercise. The hypothesis that teamwork and project planning can be effectively taught in an online environment was, however, confirmed.
de Weck, O., & Feiler, J., & Tan-Tiongco, K., & Rahaman, R., & de Weck, C. (2022, August), Minecraft Design Build: Teaching Teamwork and Project Planning in a Virtual World Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41853
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