CSE team brings history to life for local middle schoolers

June 23, 2025
CSE researchers led by Prof. Xu Wang collaborated with local school A2 STEAM to digitize a game exploring Silk Road history for 7th graders.
A group of students and adults sit around a circular table playing a Silk Road-themed educational game, with printed materials, a colorful game board, and a laptop displaying a digital game interface in front of them.
Students and family members gather around a table during A2 STEAM’s game night to play a historical Silk Road simulation game. The event was facilitated by a digital platform created in collaboration with CSE researchers.

University of Michigan researchers teamed up with local public school A2 STEAM to facilitate their family game night on Wednesday, May 21, showcasing a newly developed digital version of a board game that embodies the power of innovation in education. The event, which combined elements of a portfolio exhibition, performance assessment, and a general celebration of learning, was the culmination of a collaborative project between A2 STEAM and a group of U-M Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) researchers, helmed by Assistant Professor Xu Wang. 

The collaborative endeavor aimed to integrate digital tools into project-based learning, enhancing traditional teaching methods with cutting-edge technology. The team, including undergraduate students Nathan Yap, Kunlin Ruan, and Vijayavarshini Anbu as well as Prof. Wang, transformed a previously analog board game into an engaging digital platform. This digital adaptation allowed students to explore history, literacy, and math through the context of the Silk Road, fostering a rich and dynamic learning experience for the 7th graders.

The Silk Road Game is a strategic and adventurous learning tool that immerses players in the historical trade routes of the Silk Road. Players navigate through ancient cities, engaging in trade, battling with bandits, and overcoming natural disasters. The game requires players to strategize their travel and manage their resources carefully, with each turn presenting random events, such as trade negotiations or various hazards, that could derail their plans. The game reinforces students’ learning of history and math, as well as their creative problem-solving skills.

Two screenshots of a colorful digital game interface displaying a stylized map of the Silk Road, with city names and information, travel routes, resource icons, and a sidebar showing player stats such as gold, resources, and initiative order.
The Silk Road Game interface, where players navigate trade routes, manage resources, and track their progress through historical cities.

At the dedicated game night this May, students and their families gathered to play the game and share what they learned during the year. The event was a fitting climax to a successful collaboration that demonstrated the potential of digital tools in enhancing educational goals. The event was organized by A2 STEAM PBL Coordinator Nathan Hatt, in collaboration with seventh grade teachers Tim Rittinger (Social Studies), Jack Stearns (Math), and Carly Vincenz (English Language Arts).

“This was, by far, our most successful event for this project,” said Hatt.

His sentiments were echoed by Wang, who noted, “This project not only provided students with an engaging learning experience, but also helped lay the foundation for broader integration of digital-driven learning in education.”

This goal of making education more interactive and accessible for students of all ages is a core focus of Wang’s larger research objectives, which include creating AI-driven intelligent tutoring modules tailored to both K-12 and university students.

Students, teachers, and parents alike enjoyed the innovative approach to learning that the Silk Road Game offered, highlighting the importance and impact of local partnerships in advancing educational innovation. “This event showed how our expertise as computer scientists can have a meaningful impact right here in our local community,” said Wang.