Canal Ciência Project

Project Description

Under the guidance of researchers Sergio Freitas and Cristiane Ramos , the project enhanced the user experience of Canal Ciência. The initiative was carried out in partnership with IBICT, with funding operationalized by Finatec. By employing advanced gamification techniques, a more engaging and motivating approach to scientific dissemination was proposed.

Project Objectives

The main objectives of this project were:

1. Identify the target audience of Canal Ciência;
2. Develop motivational profiles using the Octalysis tool;
3. Establish indicators to evaluate user satisfaction and motivation; and
4. Implement gamification on the Canal Ciência Portal.

A rigorous evaluation of the gamified version of Canal Ciência was conducted, measuring its impact on the user experience and the effectiveness of scientific content dissemination through gamification.

Methodology and Implementation

The implementation took place on the WordPress platform, the current base of Canal Ciência. The gamification techniques were carefully integrated, and their effectiveness was monitored through specific indicators created by the CEDIS team, allowing continuous adjustments and improvements throughout the project.

Results and Publications

The results of this project led to the publication of significant academic works:

1. A Process to Identify Players’ Motivational Profiles for Gamification Projects: This paper presented a new process to define motivational profiles, using three strategies—evaluation by judges, game dynamics, and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). The process was applied to Canal Ciência to engage Brazilian students in science. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-64608-9_4.
2. Crafting Personalized Learning Environments Through Motivational Profiling : Paper published in the 2024 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), DOI 10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893473, on personalizing learning environments through motivational profiling based on the Canal Ciência experience.
3. Gamifying Science Communication: An Experience Report of Jornada Galáctica at Canal Ciência : Work derived from the Jornada Galáctica experience at Canal Ciência, presented at ICCSA 2026 in Braga, Portugal.

News and Updates

Stay informed about the project developments through the following news articles:

• Canal Ciência Project wins best paper award at an international conference: The project was awarded best paper at ICCSA 2024, highlighting the innovative use of gamification to engage Brazilian students in science.
• Software engineering student presents paper at ICCSA 2024: Mylena Faria, a CEDIS fellow, presented the innovations of the Canal Ciência project at an international conference in Vietnam.

Gamification Launch

The gamification project culminated in the launch of the Jornada Galáctica. Explore it here:

• Jornada Galáctica on Canal Ciência: Aimed at making scientific content more accessible and engaging through gamified learning experiences.
• Jornada Galáctica on CEDIS: An interactive educational journey through scientific topics, designed to engage students of various age groups.

Team

This project involved collaboration between experts from CEDIS and IBICT, coordinated by Leda Sampson (IBICT), with funding by Finatec. It also included the participation of Software Engineering students as undergraduate research fellows and advisees:

Mylena Angélica Silva Farias — PIBIC undergraduate research advisee of Prof. Sergio Freitas.
Marcus Vinicius Martins — PIBIC undergraduate research advisee of Prof. Cristiane Ramos.
Wildemberg Sales — PIBIC undergraduate research advisee of Prof. Cristiane Ramos.
Juan Mangueira Alves — PIBIC undergraduate research advisee of Prof. Sergio Freitas; participated for six of the project’s 18 months and co-authored the paper Crafting Personalized Learning Environments Through Motivational Profiling.