Academic in the Spotlight: Dr. Mariana Rocha
Name: Mariana Rocha Research Topics: Digital Game Based Learning
About: Mariana is an assistant lecturer in the School of Computer Science. She has a PhD in Computer Science from TU Dublin and her research interest is related to the development of technology for learning
What inspired you to get into the field Computer Science?
I have always been fascinated by technology and how it can solve real-life problems, especially considering challenges in education. Before joining TU Dublin as an assistant lecturer, I worked developing multimedia content for STEM learning. That motivated me to pursue a master’s degree and evaluate the potential of online platforms for primary school education. During my PhD, I decided to go further and developed an educational videogame to support mathematics learning. The game I created is called “Once Upon a Maths”, and it is an adventure through the history of mathematics, where children learn by solving problems. The game was evaluated by almost a hundred students from Irish schools and proved to be efficient in supporting their learning. It is quite interesting to work on multidisciplinary research and see how computer science can produce results that support other areas, such as education..
Can you tell us about your current research work?
I am part of of a research group called “Happy Maths”. We develop and evaluate the potential of educational video games to improve students’ performance and reduce their levels of mathematics anxiety. In this condition, people tend to feel scared of maths, which can be very debilitating, especially for school-age children. Currently, we are studying how different elements of educational games can help students to overcome maths anxiety. We aim to use machine learning to make the games more adaptive to the player. The idea is to provide a unique playing environment where the child feels comfortable and learns better.
What drives you to do research in this area?
I am passionate about education, and the more I do research on educational games, the more I see how they can make the learning process more engaging. This type of game supports classroom learning whilst also allowing children to enagage with mathematics while playing at home. We could identify how challenging learning from home can be during the pandemic and how having access to the right educational tools facilitates this process. The possibility of supporting children with maths anxiety also drives me into the research area, especially considering that female students tend to have higher levels of this condition. This can result in a lower number of women pursuing STEM-related careers. As a woman in computer science, I aim to look for solutions that can make girls feel more confident in pursuing a STEM career.
You recently won an award at the European Game-Based Learning Conference, what was that like?
The Conference was an excellent opportunity to share my work with other researchers, and I was able to talk about the game I developed during my PhD. I had the chance to get feedback from people from different countries and listen to their experiences, which helped me improve future versions of the game. Two of the games developed by our group were awarded prizes at the Conference
What’s next on the horizon in terms of your research?
The use of artificial intelligence in education is gaining a lot of attention. Learning through technology has become very popular, especially considering how most of our lives moved to the online environment during the pandemic. I believe the next step is to make it more adaptable to the learner, delivering a customized experience and addressing unique needs.