Abstract:

The project "Psychologische ArbeitsGestaltung ErLeben" (PAGEL) will develop a simulation for the university course on work and organizational psychology. A central content focus of the study module "Work and Organizational Psychology" in the bachelor's degree program in psychology at the University of Hagen is job design, which deals with the effect of work on the working person. The critical teaching of theoretical basics of psychological work design, mainly done by reading and discussing relevant theories and research results, is unfortunately mostly lacking in the experience of practical job design training during these studies. This can only be achieved by experiencing a simulated training situation, trying out job design skills, and experiencing the effects of different forms of job design. The planned didactic innovation's primary learning and training objective is acquiring qualifications based on competencies and skills in work psychology to analyze, evaluate, and design work tasks according to defined human criteria. Through minor adjustments, other learning objectives can also be focused on. Methodological qualifications based on corresponding Competencies and Qualifications (CQs) from the Qualifications-Based Learning Model (QBLM) are also developed through a systematic work analysis, which the students have to carry out following a work task they have experienced. The simulation is based on Hertel's Computer Store application. A central element of the game is the student's experience of well and poorly-designed work tasks in terms of the specific manifestation of psychologically relevant work characteristics (e.g., psychological stress). For this purpose, the students will process one or more specifically designed work tasks that are digitally simulated. Psychological stresses, such as interruptions and time pressure, are thus made tangible.
Currently, there exists a web-based User Interface (UI) for the PAGEL simulation. From today's point of view, the realization of dynamic playout of the different UI elements depending on previously set psychological parameters is missing. For example, more emails should be sent if the parameter Stress is increased. There is also a lack of integration of the simulation in the Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle.
In this paper, we show the realization of a Control Unit, which controls the game flow depending on the psychological parameters, and the integration of the simulation via Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) to the LMS. Based on the psychology course described above, this paper shows the necessary theoretical background, concepts, and implementations. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary and the remaining challenges of the approach.

Keywords:

Serious Gaming, Simulation, Game-Based Learning, LTI, XAPI, Higher Education, Psychology Studies.