HOME I/O: an example of Human-Machine Systems concepts applied to STEM education

This paper shows how Human-Machine Systems (HMS) concepts and framework have been applied to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education to design a serious game called HOME I/O. This software is the result of a 3-year R&D project (2011-2014) between CReSTIC lab from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne and Real Games, a Portuguese company. It was partially founded by the French Education Ministry. HMS systemic approach has been the foundations to design a virtual house, to bring into the class room, usable from middle schools to universities adapted to learners and teachers and suitable for STEM interdisciplinary education. One of the main ideas is not to withdraw the teacher from the loop. He or she is the game master. With this innovative pedagogical tool, the possibilities of pedagogical scenarios in STEM depend only on teachers' imagination.