Happy Maths is a research and engagement project for primary schools. The project aims to evaluate the potential of digital games to support mathematics learning. The project seeks to investigate the impact that games can have on teachers' practice, students' maths performance and their levels of mathematics anxiety, a condition of negative emotional reactions that affects learning and self-confidence. The project includes the implementation of two games developed by our team: Once Upon a Maths, an online graphical adventure mixing History and Maths, and Seven Spells, a digital card game stimulating problem solving. Both games were designed based on 5 years of research into STEM game-based learning and the feedback of 700+ teachers.

For more information visit the Happy Maths project website.

This project aims to support the development of computational thinking for primary school children. This is achieved through the “Code of Kells”, a collaborative mystery game where players should use cryptography techniques to discover who stole the Book of Kells from the Trinity College Library. To identify who the criminal is, the players should follow a map of Dublin city and collect encrypted clues hidden in popular locations, such as Phoenix Park and Dublin Castle. Together, participants should follow guidelines provided by a cipher sheet that illustrates cryptography techniques such as Caesar's Cipher, Polybius Cipher, Pigpen Cipher and the Morse Code

Arithmos (from the greek word ἀριθμός, meaning number) investigates how digital game-based learning can reduce the negative effects of math anxiety on Primary School pupils. The project will design and implement novel adaptive and anxiety-aware educational games and evaluate them during two cycles of in-school randomized control trials. Arithmos includes activities to support our technology-based intervention, including workshops for teachers to facilitate their adoption of game-based learning and multimedia information material for children and parents. This two-year project is funded by the Irish Research Council (IRC) and will be directed by Dr. Pierpaolo Dondio at Technological University Dublin and Dr. Flavia H. Santos at University College Dublin.