Pump it up! – An Online Game in the Lecture “Computer Science in Mechanical Engineering”

Evaluation results in the lecture “Computer Science in Mechanical Engineering” at RWTH Aachen University show that most students are unaware of the relevance of computer science in mechanical engineering as well as their importance and application in future careers. Therefore, the students’ motivation to deal with computer science is often low. Over the past decade computer games have become very popular for educational purposes and are often used to facilitate learning. By playfully applying computer science skills through game-based learning, students can experience the importance of computer science for their future careers. The approach of game-based learning has proven to be suitable to motivate students. Therefore, the relevance of computer science for students of engineering education at the RWTH Aachen University is brought closer to them by the online computer game “Pump it up!”. The game is part of the project-based task of the lecture “Computer Science in Mechanical Engineering”. Students are given the task of manufacturing pump adapter pipes as well as programming industrial robots which is embedded in a storyline. In the game, the students are employees of a start-up company, which receive the order to manufacture pump adapter pipes for a brewery. The paper gives an outlook on the next steps of the application.