In this pilot test, 7 high school students were engaged with the initial two games from the curriculum utilizing a Digilent Artix-7 FPGA. The games covered topics on binary numbers and Boolean logic. During the activity, students uploaded necessary files onto the FPGA and set up the board as per the game’s requirements (the first game required a two-digit seven-segment display, while the second game called for a breadboard with LED lights). Because there was no expectation of prior knowledge, the students received a brief, interactive lecture on the relevant topics. The games were structured to foster both competition and collaboration among the participants.
Figure explanation. FPGA-based activity. In this game, students were prompted to convert a decimal number to binary and send their response using the seven switches highlighted in the red box. They could then confirm their answer on the two-digit seven-segment display located on the right side of the board. The timer was utilized to determine the winner.
