A step by step guide to the project

Phase 1 - 'Carry out a Research Project'

  • Once logged in, some options will be shown according to the users’ role (students, mentor etc.)
  • All students, and their mentors, who had registered on the platform will have access to the phase 1 
  • Each team organizes a ‘research project’, carries out all activities required by the game’s steps and can interact with all other teams on the platform.
  • All activities will be concluded by 5th April 2014.
  • During the phase 1, students (indicating the name of the team they belong to) can exchange information with other teams on the ‘forum
  • At the end of the first phase, each team has to publish the products (i.e., papers and videos) of their ‘research project’ on the dedicated area, the ‘team wiki area
  • At the end of this phase, each team can earn a ‘badge’ that is displayed on their profile and reflects their progress through the game  
  • All teams can earn score during the first phase through the products they produce. They have to submit the products (published on the team wiki area) of the research activities for evaluation. These can be presented as:
    • a video record of their activities together with the conclusions they reached – this includes some field research conclusions. The focus here is on presenting and promoting their idea and research with a maximum length of 3 minutes. The video will be published on youtube and linked to the platform.
    • a one-two pages summary including their findings (students will find a template to prepare it).
    • a poster on the results of the research project and the conclusions reached during their work (students will find a template to prepare it). 
  • Students have to submit the products (published on the team wiki area) of the research activities for evaluation
  • The products of each team are evaluated both by a scientific committee and the other teams
  • The scientific committee attribute a score to the products of each team, ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 30  
  • The evaluation rules of the products will be based on a specific matrix and focus on the process followed, rather than on the accuracy of results
  • Each team can contribute to the final evaluation through the wiki area, giving a minimum of three preferences (a like) to the products of the other teams 
  • At the end of the phase 1 a badge will be displayed on the platform for all teams who had participated. Types of badges: bronze from 0 to 10 points; silver from 11 to 20 points; gold from 21 to 30 points.
  • These teams access to the phase 2 (the online competition) with a starting score of maximum 30 points
  • The score earned by each team during the first phase also depends on the number of interactions (e.g., comments, feedbacks, etc.) of the team on the platform

Phase 2 - The online competition

The online competition has been designed to be quite demanding and each team has to collaboratively answer to get to the final score. The competition fulfills aspects of the proposal and serves to consolidate the basics of the scientific method referring to biodiversity. 

  • During the phase 2, each team has to cover a set of minigames which different objectives to be reached 
  • During the second phase of the game (the online competition), all teams can earn a maximum of 70 points
  • The competition will be on 29 April 2014 and remain open for a certain amount of time, starting at 10 a.m. CET
  • Each team can earn a bonus at the end of each minigame (the minigame is a single path of exercises included in the game) depending on the time spent to accomplish each objective 
  • Once a team starts the final competition it has to play it until its end. No breaks are allowed. 
  • Only the teams concluding the game will be included in the final rank 
  • At the end of the game the team with the highest score will be declared the winner
  • The teams classified in the first, second and third positions receive a cup and a diploma
  • The teacher (mentor) and one student, representing the winning team (first position), will be invited to the conclusive awarding ceremony. The cost of the travel and the subsistence will be covered by the project.
  • The scientific committee reserve the right to attribute special prizes taking into account the results produced by the teams
  • A certificate of participation will be given to all participants  
  • The products of the winners will be published on the projects web site
Last modified: Monday, 3 February 2014, 3:05 PM