Excavate! Series

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CertifiedEducation quality
05/2018
Excavate! Series

Excavate! Series

Dig-It! Games
Social studies
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Game series about ancient civilizations teaching history and social studies.

Learn world history in a new way with Excavate!, a multi-game archaeology series built in consultation with social studies teachers. Use archaeological thinking as you excavate and analyze artifacts from ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Rome, Egypt, Greece, Mesoamerica and the Byzantine Empire. All games in the series include: highly detailed, authentic artifacts including special 3D artifacts that can be manipulated by the player and historically accurate, detailed scenes that bring the excavate sites to life. The games offer extensive information about the ancient civilization and have supporting teacher materials. The games can be played in browser or purchased for mobile devices. The mobile versions work also off-line.

Age groups 
Elementary
Middle school
Price 
One time purchase
Languages 
English
Spanish
Platform 
Desktop Windows
Desktop Mac
Mobile Android
Mobile iOS
Browser-based
Registration 
Required
Offline play 
Playable offline
Pictures
Videos
Price 
One time purchase
The solution provides different types of engaging interactives that are built around high-quality pre-curated learning material. The user is challenged to solve tasks using information that is being gained through the gameplay.

The solution provides different types of engaging interactives that are built around high-quality pre-curated learning material. The user is challenged to solve tasks using information that is being gained through the gameplay.

The user is guided to make choices based on what has been learned. The solution starts from the same baseline with all users, but as the excavation sites have different themes, the player can choose the content that interests him/her the most.

The user is guided to make choices based on what has been learned. The solution starts from the same baseline with all users, but as the excavation sites have different themes, the player can choose the content that interests him/her the most.

The content represents high quality, the scope of the product is clear and it’s easy to understand what learning goals can be achieved.

The content represents high quality, the scope of the product is clear and it’s easy to understand what learning goals can be achieved.

The game introduces the work of archaeologist and scientific method in practice.

The game introduces the work of archaeologist and scientific method in practice.

The game keeps the player stimulated, and generally, graphics support the mood and play.

The game keeps the player stimulated, and generally, graphics support the mood and play.

Pedagogy
Educational Quality
Learning Goals

The pedagogical analysis covers how the product supports learning of the identified skills. The student’s role is assessed by four contrary pair parameters, which are selected to cover the most essential aspects on the use of the product.

Passive
Active
The user is challenged to solve tasks using information that is gained through the gameplay. The user is given autonomy to choose between different sites, which promotes student agency.
Rehearse
Construct
The solution starts from the same baseline with all users, but as the excavation sites have different themes, the player can choose the content that interests him/her the most.
Linear
Non-linear/Creative
The content represents high quality, the scope of the product is clear and it’s easy to understand what learning goals can be achieved.
Individual
Collaborative
Students can play the game at home as well as it allows the learner to make all the decisions individually, for example choosing the excavation site that interests him/her the most.

The following are the high educational quality aspects in this product.

The solution provides a variety of activities that are built around high-quality learning material. The user is challenged to solve tasks using information that is learned through the gameplay.
The solution starts from the same baseline with all users, but as the excavation sites have different themes, the player can choose the content that interests him/her the most.
The solution provides accurately predictable learning outcomes and learning progress is directly comparable between users.
Students can play the game at home as well as it allows the learner to progress autonomously and make all the decisions individually.

The supported learning goals are identified by matching the product with several relevant curricula descriptions on this subject area. The soft skills are definitions of learning goals most relevant for the 21st century. They are formed by taking a reference from different definitions of 21st century skills and Finnish curriculum.

Subject based learning goals

D2.His.3.6-8.Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.
Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different context
Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
RI.6.7 – Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
RH.6-8.7 – Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Study the Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
Know the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations
Investigate culture and cultural identity
Study the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared
Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance
RH.6-8.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCRA.R.10 – Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
D2.His.9.3-5. Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.

Soft skills learning goals

Learning to acquire, modify and produce information in different forms
Practicing logical reasoning to understand and interpret information in different forms
Using technology as a part of explorative process
Using technological resources for finding and applying information
Practicing to create questions and make justifiable arguments based on observations
Practicing to notice causal connections
Learning about different countries and their characteristics
Learning to understand people, surroundings and phenomenons around us
Learning about cultural aspects and to respect different cultures

The Finnish Educational Quality Certificate

Our Quality Evaluation Method is an academically sound approach to evaluating a product’s pedagogical design from the viewpoint of educational psychology.

The method has been developed with university researchers and all evaluators are carefully selected Finnish teachers with a master's degree in education.

More about the evaluation