Finalist for Adobe Award in October

A computer-based educational game developed by the University of Louisiana's Center for Innovative Learning & Assessment Technologies and Texas A&M is a finalist for a prestigious award.

RiggleFish teaches players about scientific inquiry and genetics.

The game is a finalist in the 2011 Adobe Design Achievement Awards competition in the Innovation in Interactive Media in Education category. Winners will be announced in October.

“ Video games can help learners to experience science in a whole new way – by actually engaging in the same practices as scientists,” said Dr. Doug Williams, CILAT director and associate professor of instructional technology at the University of Louisiana. “This was our goal in the design of the game.”

In RiggleFish, players take on the role of Dr. Waters, a geneticist tasked by the government to develop a source for Omega X. This fatty acid can be used as a protectant against a deadly bioweapon.

RiggleFish, a recently discovered fish species, is rich in Omega X. Players work in a top-secret underwater research laboratory to breed a type of RiggleFish that produces Omega X and can be farmed to provide a source for the needed protectant.

To accomplish this task, students must use observation and testing skills to breed these fish to obtain the target RiggleFish.

There are three levels of the game, each appropriate for different grade levels. Level 1 matches the National Science Education standards for middle school. Level 2 is for high school biology classes and Level 3 is the most challenging and is geared toward advanced high school learners.

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