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Arts & Communication Fostering belonging through STEAM education

cards in both Mia’s tourist game and “Lumberjack Life”
(Figures 2 and 5) served as repositories of community
knowledge, requiring extensive research into university
history and local culture. This process of researching,
selecting, and representing institutional elements helped
students position themselves within the university’s
broader narrative. As one faculty member observed during
the showcase, “I’ve gained more insight into our students’
view of this university in the past hour than in years of
teaching.” This unexpected outcome suggested the games’
potential as tools for preserving oral history and fostering
intergenerational connections within the university
community.
The physical artifacts themselves (Figures 1-5)
demonstrate how students integrated technical skills with
Figure 5. Board game question cards related to campus life and university
traditions and history, created by a group of undergraduate students in an community understanding. The precision of laser-cut game
Art Appreciation Course, 2024. boards, the detail of 3D-printed pieces, and the professional
quality of the question cards all suggest high levels of
Researching and designing the game gave me a whole new engagement with both the technical and social aspects of
appreciation for where I study.” the project. This integration of technical expertise with
community representation aligns with Strayhorn’s model
The “Campus Life” game (Figure 3) particularly of belonging as emerging through meaningful engagement
exemplified Strayhorn’s concept of belonging as feeling with one’s academic community.
“at home” in one’s academic environment. The designer’s
explanation captured this perfectly: “We wanted to capture These findings demonstrate how creative, PBL can
that moment when you first walk through the pine grove foster belonging through multiple pathways. The board
and just know you’re home.” This sentiment resonated game design process provided opportunities for students to
deeply with many in the audience, ourselves included. strengthen their connections to place, peers, and institution
The meticulous attention to campus architectural details simultaneously. By engaging in the collaborative creation
and the symbolic use of pine tree tokens demonstrated of cultural artifacts that represented their community,
how physical spaces contribute to students’ sense of students developed a deeper understanding of and
institutional belonging. The game board’s layout created connection to their academic environment. The resulting
a miniature campus world that players could navigate, games stand as tangible evidence of how STEAM education
can foster both technical skills and social connection,
reinforcing their mental map of the university space and supporting Strayhorn’s framework of belonging as a
their place within it.
dynamic process that develops through active engagement
The social dimension of belonging emerged strongly with one’s academic community.
through the collaborative design process and was reflected This project has opened up intriguing avenues for
in the games’ mechanics. “Lumberjack Life” (Figure 4) future research. The student-designed games have not only
incorporated social interactions and shared experiences into demonstrated the creative application of course concepts
its core gameplay, requiring players to engage with various but have also provided a novel tool for understanding our
aspects of student life. Students consistently reported that campus community. How might we utilize game design as a
group work fostered deeper peer connections, with one methodology for understanding and documenting student
noting, “Working in a group made me feel more connected experiences? Could such games be employed effectively in
to my classmates. We all brought different perspectives, orientation programs or alumni events? These questions
and I think that strengthened our game design.” These warrant further exploration and could potentially lead to
collaborative experiences, combined with the storytelling innovative approaches in higher education pedagogy and
that emerged during playtesting sessions, demonstrated community engagement.
how the games facilitated what Strayhorn describes as
collective meaning-making in academic communities. 5. Discussion

The games became powerful tools for preserving STEAM education integrates design thinking, inquiry-
and transmitting institutional knowledge. The question based learning, problem-based learning (PBL), and issues-

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 10 doi: 10.36922/ac.4437