Publications / 2011 Proceedings of the 28th ISARC, Seoul, Korea

Merit of Computer Game in Tacit Knowledge Acquisition and Retention

Julian Kang; Nidhi Jain
Pages 1091-1096 (2011 Proceedings of the 28th ISARC, Seoul, Korea, ISBN 978-89-954572-4-5, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

Although many efforts have been exerted to increase safety on construction sites, it has never been easy to run a construction project with zero accidents. Previous research indicated that lessons learned from previous projects could help construction professionals prevent repetitive mistakes, but those lessons are based on individual experience, and therefore it is difficult to document and reuse them. Various Web-based database systems were suggested to better manage this tacit knowledge in construction, but transforming someone’s tacit knowledge into value for the next project using these systems is still challenging. Well-designed computer games often offer a number of constructive instructional features especially for young generations who have grown up in an era of computer games. Research in education reports that visual presentation facilitates the human’s cognitive process. Would visual representation of tacit knowledge in a computer game help construction professionals acquire tacit knowledge and use it to reduce repetitive accidents on construction sites? In order to figure out whether visual presentation of accident cases in a computer game could improve tacit knowledge acquisition and retention, a prototype Xbox 360 computer game presenting accident scenes using 3D computer models was developed and tested with college students working in the field of construction management. The data collected from the experiment shows that visual representation in a computer game has potential to improve tacit knowledge acquisition and retention. This paper presents how tacit knowledge was represented in the computer game, how the test was implemented, and some findings.

Keywords: Visualization, Computer Game, Knowledge Management