Abstract

In Brazil, teaching STEM-related subjects is quite delicate. As math intensifies, the corresponding attention span decreases. Transmedia Educational Environments (TECs) can help engage students in such subjects, and it is evident that the learner’s attention span is longer and more focused when students employ mobile devices and other technologies than when they were not. Transmedia (TM) storytelling can render quotidian life as a vigorous constructivist didactic tool. Up to now, most of the efforts within classrooms are related to elementary school. The digital farm project introduces several class activities connected to the protagonist’s universe and a real-life rural community. The instructor can handle a multitude of optimization problems learners can relate to and solve them. The class and the instructor can interact with other subjects like programming and application development. In Brazil, this is paramount due to the high levels of anxiety felt by engineering students. The optimization problems from the digital farm can also relate to matters such as the establishment of sustainable practices and social responsibility. TM also applies to other educational scenarios.