SCIBORG

Funding programme

Erasmus+ KA210-YOU – Small-scale Partnerships in Youth

Project reference

2023-3-AT01-KA210-YOU-000179226

Period

2024–2025

Coordinating organisation

WasserCluster Lunz – Biologische Station GmbH, Austria

Participating countries

Austria, Greece, Romania

Official project website

Visit official website

SCIBORG aims to enhance civic science literacy among young people by making the scientific research process accessible, understandable and engaging through an original educational board game.

The project focuses on understanding how scientific knowledge is produced, tested and communicated, while encouraging curiosity, critical thinking and informed participation in public discussions involving scientific evidence.

Specific learning objectives

• Understanding the scientific method: Familiarise participants with the fundamental stages of scientific inquiry: observation, research questions, hypothesis formulation, experimentation and conclusions.
• Understanding scientific research: Explore the activities, decisions, resources and uncertainties involved in producing scientific knowledge.
• Scientific literacy across disciplines: Recognise that the basic principles of scientific inquiry apply to fields such as ecology, physics, engineering, medicine, psychology and history.
• Critical thinking: Encourage participants to examine scientific claims, identify relevant evidence and understand why scientific conclusions may evolve as new information emerges.
• Scientific communication: Develop the ability to explain research decisions, construct coherent narratives and communicate findings to other participants.
• Media and civic literacy: Strengthen awareness of how scientific knowledge can inform public discussions, particularly regarding complex issues such as environmental change.
• Motivation and curiosity: Increase interest in science and help participants perceive scientific research as an understandable and accessible human activity.

Core learning outcomes

The Trainer’s Guide identifies two central educational objectives: understanding the structure of the research process and the factors that influence it, and recognising the applicability of scientific inquiry across different research disciplines.

SCIBORG developed an original educational board game specifically designed to introduce players to the scientific research process and strengthen scientific literacy.

Game developed: SCIBORG – The Science Literacy Board Game

Players assume the roles of researchers and compete to develop successful scientific projects through strategic card selection, construction of research chains and storytelling.

Main game mechanics

• Card drafting: Players select research cards and pass the remaining cards to other participants, making strategic decisions about the components of their research.
• Set collection and chain construction: Cards contain symbols representing components of scientific work. Players arrange compatible cards into chains, earning points according to their combinations and length.
• Sequential research phases: Gameplay follows the scientific method, with three principal phases focused on hypothesis formulation, experimentation and conclusions.
• Scientific storytelling: At the end of each main phase, players explain their research by creating a coherent narrative from the cards they have collected.
• Chance events: Cards introduce positive and negative situations affecting scientific work, including breakthroughs and rejected proposals.
• Bonus objectives: Additional research missions provide alternative scoring opportunities and introduce interdisciplinary scientific challenges.
• Variable researcher characters: Optional character cards represent different scientific disciplines and introduce additional abilities.

Game components

• 90 research cards, distributed across hypothesis, experiment and conclusion phases.
• 21 chance cards and 21 bonus cards.
• Six researcher character cards.
• Individual player boards, reference cards and scoring materials.
• One standard six-sided die, provided separately.

Game approach: Custom-Designed Educational Games.

Target age: 16 years and older.

Availability: Free multilingual print-and-play materials and an online version hosted on Tabletopia.

Player count: The physical rulebook describes a game for 3–5 participants, while the Tabletopia version lists digital setups for 1–4 players. Facilitators should consult the rules for their chosen version.

Educational focus: Scientific inquiry, research processes, communication, strategic thinking and understanding the role of uncertainty in scientific work.

SCIBORG follows a purpose-designed Board Game-Based Learning approach in which the mechanics and sequence of gameplay are explicitly connected to the scientific research process.

Rather than using a board game simply to introduce scientific facts, SCIBORG places participants in the role of researchers and requires them to make decisions, organise research components, respond to uncertainty and communicate their findings.

Methodological structure

1. Preparation and contextualisation: The facilitator introduces the activity, explains the objectives and prepares the participants to explore scientific inquiry through gameplay.
2. Observation: The first phase introduces the research context and organises the materials required for the subsequent scientific activities.
3. Research question: Participants select bonus objectives that establish the focus of their research.
4. Hypothesis: Players draft hypothesis cards and construct compatible chains representing elements of a scientific hypothesis.
5. Experiment: Players apply the same card-selection and chain-building mechanisms to explore the components of experimental research.
6. Conclusion: Players build chains representing scientific conclusions, completing the simulated research process.
7. Communication and assessment: After each principal phase, participants present their research as a story connecting the selected cards. Their explanations may receive additional points.
8. Scoring and reflection: Research chains, chance events, bonus objectives and the quality of scientific explanations contribute to the final score. Facilitated discussion connects the game experience with scientific concepts.

Facilitator’s role

Although the game can be played without a facilitator, the Trainer’s Guide emphasises the importance of educational facilitation for achieving its learning objectives.

Facilitators introduce scientific concepts, guide discussions, ask questions about the research decisions represented by cards, encourage participants to explain their reasoning and support connections between gameplay and real scientific practice.

The guide also allows facilitators to adapt the pace, simplify or extend rules, modify scoring and introduce additional cards according to the group’s characteristics and educational objectives.

Reflection and debriefing

Reflection is integrated into gameplay through research storytelling and discussion after the hypothesis, experiment and conclusion phases.

Players explain how their cards represent elements of scientific research and justify the relationships between them. Facilitators may provide further questions to stimulate reasoning, improve scientific communication and address misunderstandings.

The available documentation particularly emphasises these discussions during gameplay. A separate compulsory post-game debriefing session is not consistently specified in the reviewed sources.

Relationship between game mechanics and learning

Card drafting promotes strategic selection; chain construction represents the combination of components required for scientific inquiry; sequential phases reproduce the structure of research; chance cards illustrate uncertainty; and storytelling encourages participants to explain and justify their research decisions.

SCIBORG was developed and tested through an Erasmus+ partnership involving scientific researchers, educational practitioners and board game designers from Austria, Greece and Romania.

Implementation activities

• Research and educational design: The partners explored the main concepts of civic science literacy and identified aspects of scientific inquiry suitable for representation through board game mechanics.
• Participatory game development: The development process incorporated input from scientific researchers, youth educators and participants, connecting research expertise with educational game design.
• International coordination: A transnational project meeting took place in Arad, Romania, in April 2024.
• Game playtesting: A live-testing event was organised in Karditsa, Greece, in October 2024, involving project partners and participants who provided feedback on gameplay and educational design.
• Testing in educational contexts: The game was subsequently tested with different groups both inside and outside classroom settings.
• Dissemination: The completed game was made available in multiple languages through printable materials and a digital version, with supporting documentation for educators and facilitators.
• Scientific dissemination: The project’s design, implementation and initial evaluation approach were presented at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in 2024 and 2025.

Evaluation approach

According to the scientific communication presented at EGU 2025, pre- and post-game questionnaires were administered to participants in order to assess their understanding of the scientific method and their reactions to the game.

The available documentation therefore confirms an evaluation approach involving measurements before and after gameplay, in addition to formative playtesting and participant feedback.

Available evidence

Publicly accessible sources document the development and release of SCIBORG, its testing with different participant groups and the use of pre- and post-game questionnaires.

However, the reviewed conference abstract does not provide the sample size, numerical pre- and post-test results, effect sizes or sufficient methodological information to establish the magnitude of any educational improvement.

Evidence classification: Documented game development and classroom/non-formal playtesting, with pre- and post-game assessment reported in a scientific conference abstract. Quantitative learning outcomes have not been independently verified from the reviewed public sources.

Evaluation limitations: The available information is insufficient to determine whether observed changes, if any, can be attributed to gameplay. The assessment instruments, participant characteristics, statistical results and presence of a comparison group would need further examination.

Research output: Coulson, L. E., Lekkas, K., Morar, C., Matei, L., & Feldbacher, E. (2025). SCIBORG: The Science Literacy Board Game. EGU General Assembly 2025, Abstract EGU25-1625. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1625

SCIBORG provides an openly accessible collection of educational game materials designed to facilitate the use of the game in youth education, scientific communication and informal learning contexts.

Available resources

• SCIBORG Print-and-Play Game: Downloadable game components, including research cards, chance cards, bonus objectives, researcher characters, player boards and scoring materials.
• Game Rulebook: An illustrated manual explaining game preparation, the five research stages, card drafting, construction of research chains, scientific storytelling and scoring.
• Trainer’s Guide: Pedagogical documentation addressing the educational objectives, scientific concepts, facilitator responsibilities, practical preparation and adaptation of the game for different learning contexts.
• Alternative Game Variants: Guidance for modifying rules, scoring systems, complexity and participation requirements according to the characteristics of the educational group.
• Online Game: A digital version available through Tabletopia, allowing participants to access the game without preparing the physical print-and-play materials.
• How-to-Play Video: An instructional video introducing the game’s components, mechanics and sequence of play.
• Multilingual Materials: The game is available in German, English, Greek and Romanian, supporting implementation in different European contexts.
• Scientific Conference Communications: Presentations at EGU 2024 and EGU 2025 documenting the educational concept, development process and early evaluation activities.

Accessibility and transferability

The combination of freely downloadable components, multilingual rulebooks, facilitator guidance and online gameplay facilitates access by youth organisations, educators, science communicators and community groups.

The Trainer’s Guide allows users to modify game conditions and educational activities according to their objectives and participants’ needs.

The official rulebook and Trainer’s Guide identify the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) licence. Users should check the licensing information accompanying each downloadable resource before redistribution or adaptation.

The game can be used independently, although educational facilitation is recommended to strengthen the relationship between gameplay, scientific reasoning and the intended learning objectives.

SCIBORG represents a distinctive example of purpose-designed Board Game-Based Learning in which the structure of the scientific research process is translated into sequential gameplay phases, card-selection mechanisms and narrative activities.

Its principal methodological contribution is not simply the communication of scientific information, but the attempt to represent how scientific knowledge is constructed, influenced by different factors and communicated to others.

Methodological strengths

1. Alignment between game structure and scientific inquiry. The game’s five stages correspond to observation, research questions, hypothesis formulation, experimentation and conclusions. This creates a direct connection between the educational content and the organisation of gameplay.
2. Meaningful integration of game mechanics. Card drafting and chain construction represent the selection and combination of elements required for research, while sequential phases illustrate the interdependence of scientific activities.
3. Representation of uncertainty. Chance cards introduce unpredictable events, helping participants recognise that scientific work is influenced by factors beyond researchers’ immediate control.
4. Scientific storytelling and communication. The requirement to explain the relationships between selected cards encourages participants to construct narratives, justify decisions and communicate their understanding of scientific processes.
5. Explicit facilitator guidance. The Trainer’s Guide distinguishes between recreational gameplay and educational facilitation, emphasising the role of discussion, questioning and adaptation in supporting learning.
6. Transferability and accessibility. Freely downloadable game components, several language versions, a digital implementation and a dedicated Trainer’s Guide support wider educational use.
7. Documented development and testing. The project reports participatory game development, international playtesting and pre- and post-game evaluation activities, providing a foundation for subsequent research.

Methodological limitations

Although the research process is represented through gameplay, building card chains and maximising points does not necessarily reproduce the epistemological complexity of scientific investigation.

There is a potential distinction between optimising a game strategy and genuinely understanding the quality of scientific evidence. Facilitated discussion is therefore essential to prevent successful gameplay from being interpreted automatically as successful learning.

In addition, competitive scoring may sometimes prioritise game performance over the quality of scientific reasoning. The Trainer’s Guide partly addresses this issue through storytelling, educator intervention and alternative scoring approaches.

Finally, the publicly accessible evaluation evidence is insufficient to determine the extent of measurable learning gains or their durability over time.

Ludus Magnus assessment

SCIBORG provides a valuable example of the intentional integration of subject-specific concepts into modern board game mechanics. The correspondence between scientific inquiry stages, card drafting, chain construction, uncertainty and storytelling offers a coherent starting point for educational game design.

Its methodological value is particularly evident when gameplay is accompanied by guided discussion that connects the selected cards and research narratives to authentic scientific practices.

Future research would benefit from validated scientific literacy instruments, transparent reporting of pre- and post-test results, comparison groups and follow-up evaluations.

Independence of assessment

SCIBORG was developed by an external European consortium. This appraisal by Ludus Magnus is based on publicly available project documentation, game rules, facilitator materials and scientific conference communications. It does not represent a direct evaluation of participants or an independent experimental assessment of the game’s effectiveness.