While enhancing computer science and computer gaming, Microsoft Research has come across some relevant, excellent and thought-provoking papers. The authors have been gracious enough to allow Microsoft to share these papers with you.

Title:	Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Instructional Approach
Authors:	Barb Moskal, Deborah Lurie, Stephen Cooper
Abstract:	This paper describes the evaluation of an NSF-sponsored educational research project. The primary focus of this project was to develop and evaluate a course curriculum designed to improve retention and performance for “at risk” introductory computer science majors. The results of this research suggest that the newly-developed course and curriculum materials did improve students’ performance and retention in computer science and their attitudes towards computer science.
Title:	Computer Gaming To Enhance CS Curriculum “Strengthening the CS Pipeline”
Author:	John Nordlinger
Abstract:	This paper provides a summary of the problem, a proposed solution and an invitation for more research. It also describes the assets Microsoft and its partners in academia and industry provide or plan to provide. These materials range from computer science curriculum, related topic presentations, Microsoft game technologies, industrial and academic computer game engines and virtual environments, all meant to support the computer science instructor in teaching by using computer game concepts and technologies.
Title:	Games as a “Flavor” of CS1
Authors:	Jessica D. Bayliss, Sean Strout
Abstract:	Introductory programming courses have a specific set of expected outcomes. One of the most often heard complaints in such courses is that they are divorced from the reality of application. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find areas for application that all students have the background knowledge for and that are engaging and challenging. One such area is computer games, and we have developed a cohesive CS1 course that provides traditional outcomes from within the context of games as an application area in both the lecture and lab components of the course. This course was piloted as a ten-week distance program for incoming computer science students with the defining features that the program carried no academic credit and offered no end grades. We discuss the overwhelming interest in this course as well as objective and subjective student experiences. One of the most important outcomes of the summer course was that it brought students with similar interests and goals together. We discuss this and the different ways we have found to discuss computer science course topics from within a games context.
Title:	Machine Learning for Computer Games
Authors:	John E. Laird & Michael van Lent
Abstract:	Goals for Tutorial  1. What is machine learning?      • What are the main concepts underlying machine learning?    • What are the main approaches to machine learning?      • What are the main issues in using machine learning? 2. When should it be used in games?      • How can it improve a game?      • Examples of possible applications of ML to games.      • When shouldn’t ML be used? 3. How do you use it in games?      • Important ML techniques that might be useful in computer games.      • Examples of machine learning used in actual games.