Do-it-yourself in a team
In our offerings, students design real or virtual puzzle environments for different scenarios from the world of life and work.
This is combined with the creation of physical environments with digital production facilities, sensor-supported process control using microcontrollers, and the multimedia design and programming of virtual puzzle environments.
Storytelling-, puzzle- and clue-design
In our offerings, students create their own escape games on a variety of topics with a learning gain for the later players.
This naturally presents the developing students with a particular challenge – they have to penetrate the technical content of their context in order to create appropriate puzzle environments..
Such an educationally valuable escape game combines entertainment and learning. Three main components are crucial for this:
1. Storyline: It creates an emotional connection, puts the learning content into a meaningful context and motivates the players. A well-designed storyline integrates the learning material seamlessly into an exciting narrative.
2. Puzzles: They are the heart of the matter, combine fun and learning and are tailored to the learning content. The learning material is actively applied and thus deepened in the long term.
3. Clues: They offer support without undermining the challenge. Instead of providing solutions, they skillfully guide the players further and bring the learning content back into focus.
These elements together promote both the learning process and the motivation of the participants.
Makerspace – CAD, 3D-Printing, Lasercut, Folienplot and more
Our makerspace for manufacturing with modern digital manufacturing facilities has 3D printers, laser cutters, foil plotters and styrofoam cutting machines.
These are controlled with the Windows laptops purchased from the REACT-EU package with the associated software solution.
Depending on the amount of time, participants receive a basic introduction to all the possibilities or are limited to one manufacturing process.
Laser cutters are used whose production speed is high enough to achieve attractive results even with a shorter course.
Foil cutters and styrofoam cutters can also be used due to the production speed.
3D CAD with onshape and 3D printing products round off the picture and provide insights into other future-oriented technologies.
Using the equipment enables work in teams of two for both construction and machine control.
Microcontroller
When programming microcontrollers, students learn how to electronically design puzzle modules using microcontroller programming.
The students learn how to program microcontrollers and gain experience using the E-V-A principle (input-processing-output) of information technology.
They use sensors such as buttons and switches, touch, light and motion sensors as well as actuators such as LEDs, LCD displays, servos and sound outputs.
Programming is done either via a cloud-based graphical and easily accessible block-based interface, the OpenRoberta Lab of the Fraunhofer Institute IAIS, which allows quick success and independent work even for younger students.
This process requires a stable internet connection, which we can guarantee with the help of devices from the REACT-EU program.
For longer-term courses and more demanding ideas for using microcontrollers, text-based programming is also carried out, e.g. via the Arduino IDE, which has a considerably larger range of functions.
Programming virtual puzzles
As part of our offering, we offer courses on how to design virtual online games, which are held in person with events in the student laboratory and remotely in the participating schools.
We also have a serious game platform (our „WordPress for serious games“), which is an easily accessible way to independently design virtual exit games with text, graphics, audio and video design.
The programming and content design of online games is only possible using high-quality digital devices.
There are enough of these available for larger groups.