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The integration of digital games into diverse aspects of human culture has led to a paradigm shift in their utilization beyond mere entertainment. This doctoral thesis explores the challenges in designing effective gameful systems and presents a novel solution, GamiDOC, to address these challenges. The research begins by identifying elements that interfere with the design of gameful systems and subsequently affect their effectiveness. Scientometric analyses reveal the need for systematic and standardized methodologies in gamification design. Challenges such as users’ interpersonal differences, goal disparities, contextual variations, and feedback modalities are thoroughly examined. In response to these challenges, GamiDOC is introduced as a tool to support designers and developers throughout the design, development, and evaluation phases of gameful systems. The tool is built on a Design for Science Research Method (DSRM) approach, providing a systematic and holistic framework. GamiDOC includes features such as a gamification design framework, a peer-review procedure, code generation, an open-access database, and a guideline for data collection and analysis. The effectiveness of GamiDOC is assessed through empirical studies and real-case applications. User feedback demonstrates the tool’s usefulness in addressing challenges during the design phase, supporting decision-making processes, and enhancing overall development and evaluation. Real-case applications include the design and evaluation of a Virtual Reality (VR) gameful system for teaching UML and a serious game promoting environmental awareness. Despite the promising results, the thesis acknowledges the need for further development and evaluation of GamiDOC’s components. Future work involves refining features, resolving ethical constraints, and conducting more comparisons with alternative methodologies. In conclusion, this dissertation contributes to the understanding of challenges in gamification design and offers a practical solution in the form of GamiDOC. The presented tool, still under development, shows potential in guiding designers and developers towards creating more effective and engaging gameful systems, contributing to the ongoing evolution of gamification in various domains.

This Study investigates the effectiveness of a new Instructional Design model for using advanced multimedia in the teaching and learning of photography at university level in Kingdom of Bahrain. A preliminary study revealed that the central problems faced by students are learning key technical aspects of photography coupled with insufficient resources and high student teachers ratio. Advanced multimedia was proposed as an effective tool for teaching and learning photography. A critical review and analysis of existing e-learning resources revealed that such technology might help in teaching and learning, especially subjects that need experience with real instruments like cameras. Through reference to the ASSURE model, Laurillard's conversational model, and insights from Steuer's Classification model, the researcher developed a new instructional design model for using advanced multimedia in photography education [AMPE]. This was field tested in University photography teaching. For the evaluation of the AMPE model a mixed-model design was used, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. In a quantitative evaluation, effectiveness in learning was estimated from the student achievement in a test. A comparison of the opinions of the two groups of students in a specially constructed questionnaire measuring their views of the respective teaching and learning methods was also applied. Finally engagement and enjoyment in learning in the two groups of students were also assessed through questionnaire. The participants‘comments, opinions, and suggestions were obtained through open-ended questions in the questionnaire. The study found that advanced multimedia enhances effectiveness, engagement, and enjoyment in learning photography. The instructional model and associated ―virtual camera‖ seems to be a suitable solution for the lack of real cameras in the classroom environment, and can help in the teaching of difficult technical photographic knowledge in an efficient and practical manner.

To be able to create quality software system, one need to analyse it well, design, program and test it. The whole process is called software life-cycle and is studied by software engineering. Today, there are many tools making this process easier. For analysing and designing software UML language became favourite. It enables programmers to describe different aspects of software by graphical diagrams and enables them to comprehend them better. Some of them can be translated into source code in chosen programming language. Problem is maintaining those diagrams during later phases when source code was already generated and is used exclusively. This problem is trying to be solved by Model-Driven Development, where programmer is working with well-defined models that can be automatically transformed into the source code that don't have to be edited by hand. Unfortunately this approach is not universal. This work tries to design and create tool that can work with use case diagrams, class diagrams and object-oriented Petri nets. This tool should allow designing those diagrams and be able to synchronise information between them to make the software design easier.

The aim of my diploma thesis was engineering design of 4x4 chassis dynamometer model at 1:10 scale for presentation purpose and for testing RC cars models. The first part describes the current types of chassis dynamometers. The main goal of the thesis was designed the model itself in order to produce some parts of the dynamometer using 3D printing. The work also includes production drawings of individual parts and economic estimate of the entire production.

Defects in bone are a constant and serious problem. They occur as a result of high energy trauma, congenital conditions or are created surgically to treat bone tumours or infection. Currently the treatment for these conditions is awkward for the patient, takes a long time and has a high complication rate. An elegant solution would be to mend the bone defect using the patient own cells; osteoblasts or mesenchymal stem cells seeded onto a supportive material scaffold. For successful regeneration of bone structures, a scaffold production technique has to be adopted that can precisely control porosity, internal pore architecture and fibre thickness, as well as maximising media diffusion and optimising scaffold mechanical properties so that the scaffold can withstand bone bearing pressures. It would also be beneficial if the scaffold uniformly distributed surface strain along the fibres throughout the entire scaffold as this would encourage more even cell proliferation/differentiation in the structure. This was addressed by performing a series of finite element analyses on the computer aided design model where the mechanical properties of the natural or synthetic polymer used have been incorporated to yield an accurate strain profile of the entire scaffold. The process used here to generate the scaffolds is a Rapid Prototyping method that creates a three-dimensional object through the repetitive deposition of fibres in layers via extrusion. Due to the high accuracy and versatility of the extruder, the diameter of the pores can be precisely controlled to an accuracy of 10μm, in the manufactured scaffolds the pore size ranges from 100 to 300μm as that is what is found in trabecular bone. Natural and synthetic polymers were plotted which altered the biodegradability properties of the scaffold and the degrees of cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation in the structure. Scaffolds were manufactured that demonstrated compatibility with cell adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. On completion of the scaffolds, the latter were seeded with osteoblasts or marrow stromal cells and put into a mechanically stimulating bioreactor machine to induce a small strain in the scaffold; this was performed to encourage cell proliferation/differentiation. The structure was left until the osteoblasts or marrow stromal cells modified the scaffold through bone deposition. In-vivo experiments were then undertaken. Preliminary data indicated an effect of mechanical stimulation of the cell/scaffold construct on the degree of mineralization of cell matrix generated by human osteogenic cells.

The main aim of this study is to develop an instructional design model of drama course for preservice teachers in Faculty of Education. Firstly, to reach this aim the models in the literature were reviewed and the model was created as synthesis of them. In addition of this, the drama courses at universities were examined and the last version of this model was shaped. Secondly, the effectiveness of the model was tested through developing a drama instruction to the preservice English Language teachers. The sample was consisted of 16 preservice teachers from the department of English Language Teaching in Faculty of Education, Middle East Technical University. The results of the study showed that the instructional design model worked appropriately in constructing a drama education course and this 10-week drama course had a positive effect on the preservice teachers&rsquo / tendency towards drama and basic knowledge about drama. Furthermore, this study revealed the process of drama instruction in universities step by step for the practitioners who works in education field.

The starting motivation of this study is to develop an intuitively strong approach to addressing architectural design problems through computational models. Within the scope of the thesis, the complexity of an architectural design problem is modeled computationally by translating the design reasoning into parameters, constraints and the relations between these. Such a model can easily become deterministic and defy its purpose, if it is customized with pre-defined and unchangeable relations between the constraints. This study acknowledges that the relations between design constraints are bound to change in architectural design problems, as exemplified in the graduation project of the author. As such, any computational design model should enable designers to modify the relations between constraints. The model should be open for modifications by the designer. v The findings of the research and the architectural design experiments in the showcase project suggest that this is possible if mass customized sequences of abstract, modifiable and reusable relations link the design constraints with each other in the model. Within the scope of this thesis, the designer actions are mass-customized sequences of relations that may be modified to fit the small design tasks of relating specific design constraints. They relate the constraints in sequence, and are mass customized in an abstract, modifiable and reusable manner. Within this study, they are encoded in Rhino Grasshopper definitions. As these mass customized relations are modifiable, they are seen as a remedy for enabling the designers to build models that meet individual and intuitive needs of the design problems that designers define.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning / Jessica Canfield / Located eight miles from the heart of Dallas, The Dallas Air Naval Station is a 1045-acre decommissioned airfield site. Since its closure in 1998, it has predominantly sat idle, bringing little value to adjacent neighborhoods and the greater community. Due to prolonged site remediation and no formal redevelopment plan, the site’s full potential has yet to come to fruition. Current urban design models tend to primarily focus on achieving a singular, end-result. However, as cities and the environment become more complex and unpredictable, these types of models often lack the ability to respond to change. Adaptive design, on the other hand, allows for more exploration of innovative practices, tools, techniques and methods that are informed by ecological knowledge and research design. As means of illustrating how adaptive design can catalyze and benefit brownfield sites, this project proposes an urban design framework informed by ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are an essential component to human well-being and environmental health, and when used as a guiding principle in site design, can add resiliency and beneficial outcomes to a site. To inform the development of the Ecosystem Services Urban Design Framework, this project uses literature, a site analysis, an applicable ecosystem services analysis, and precedent analyses. The framework is then applied to an urban brownfield site, the Dallas Air Naval Station, to show its applicability for short-term and long-term adaptive design scenarios. Dallas’ current issues and needs are addressed by the short-term plan, whereas informed projections of future issues inform the long-term design scenarios. Collectively, this project illustrates the imperative for incorporating adaptability into urban design, and for the value of using ecosystems services as underlying foundation.