Evaluation of Serious Games

Author(s):  
Stefan Göbel ◽  
Michael Gutjahr ◽  
Sandro Hardy

Comprehensive evaluation studies are necessary to “prove” the benefit of Serious Games (SG). This is also extremely important for the commercial success of SG: Best practice examples with profound, well-recorded positive effects will provide relevant arguments to invest into SG for training/education, sports and health, and other application domains. On the other hand, it is not easy to prove the benefit of SG and to measure its effects (e.g. learning effects or medical effects) and affects (user experience factors such as fun during play). Evaluation methodologies might be split into observation, self-evaluation (e.g. questionnaires, interviews), associative methods, performance analyses, and psychophysiology measurement. Technology-enhanced evaluation methods, for instance, facing expression measurement are in the centre of attention. This chapter provides an overview of these methods and describes current interdisciplinary research and technology development achievements in that field.

Author(s):  
TJ Ó Ceallaigh ◽  
Aoife Ní Shéaghdha

While research on Irish-medium immersion education (IME) has heralded benefits such as cognitive skills, academic achievement and language and literacy development, many studies have also identified challenges to its successful implementation. Immersion-specific research-validated tools can help school leaders navigate the school self-evaluation journey, critically review and evaluate the quality of aspects of their school’s provision and plan for improvement. This paper reports on one theme, leadership, from a larger study, Quality indicators of best practice in Irish-medium immersion (Ó Ceallaigh and Ní Shéaghdha, 2017). Qualitative in nature, the study was guided by the following research question: What are IME educators’ perceptions of best practices in IME?. The study explored 120 IME educators’ perceptions of best practice in IME to inform the development of IME quality indicators. Individual interviews and focus group interviews were utilised to collect data. Data analysis revealed particular themes related to best IME leadership practices. Findings in turn informed the design of an evidence-informed school self-evaluation tool for IME settings. The various functions of the tool will be explored with a particular emphasis on building teaching and leadership capacity in IME through the school self-evaluation process.


2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Cattapan ◽  
Mariacarmela Passarelli ◽  
Michele Petrone

This paper contributes to the literature on innovation brokerage by analysing the effects of brokerage activities on the innovation and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The authors provide a detailed description of the Technology Transfer Service (TTS), credited as a European best-practice innovation broker, at Area Science Park in Italy. They then carry out an exploratory econometric analysis, the results of which show that the support provided by the TTS enables research–industry collaboration and has positive effects on product and process innovation in SMEs, but it appears not to affect the generation of new patents in SMEs. The results also suggest that the growth in innovation enabled by the support of TTS has a positive effect on the SMEs' revenue growth and job creation. However the innovation broker is more effective in relation to larger firms than it is for micro-enterprises.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Bertini ◽  
Elena Isola ◽  
Giuseppe Paolone ◽  
Giuseppe Curcio

The study aims at evaluating health-generating function of humor therapy in a hospital ward hosting children suffering from respiratory pathologies. The main scope of this study is to investigate possible positive effects of the presence of a clown on both the clinical evolution of the on-going disease, and on some physiological and pain parameters. Forty-three children with respiratory pathologies participated in the study: 21 of them belonged to the experimental group (EG) and 22 children to the control group (CG). During their hospitalization, the children of the EG interacted with two clowns who were experienced in the field of pediatric intervention. All participants were evaluated with respect to clinical progress and to a series of physiological and pain measures both before and after the clown interaction. When compared with the CG, EG children showed an earlier disappearance of the pathological symptoms. Moreover, the interaction of the clown with the children led to a statistically significant lowering of diastolic blood pressure, respiratory frequency and temperature in the EG as compared with the control group. The other two parameters of systolic pressure and heart frequency yielded results in the same direction, without reaching statistical significance. A similar health-inducing effect of clown presence was observed on pain parameters, both by self evaluation and assessment by nurses. Taken together, our data indicate that the presence of clowns in the ward has a possible health-inducing effect. Thus, humor can be seen as an easy-to-use, inexpensive and natural therapeutic modality to be used within different therapeutic settings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 757-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Baborska-Narozny ◽  
Eve Stirling ◽  
Fionn Stevenson

Using Facebook Groups to connect otherwise anonymous people that live in a single urban development is a relatively new phenomenon. Within residential developments, there are a number of common comfort, management, and performance issues experienced by many isolated inhabitants that are identified through building performance evaluation studies. Facebook is a ubiquitous social network tool and powerful communication platform, particularly popular among young adults. This article explores the use of closed Facebook Groups in relation to collective learning about home use in two residential communities in the United Kingdom. Data were collected through longitudinal digital and physical visits to case study residential developments and to the Facebook Group sites. Group development, dynamics, and the quality of knowledge sharing is evaluated. Findings are presented in relation to home use learning, as it proved to be a vital theme of each Group’s activity. We propose that weak-tie urban communities can develop collective efficacy through communicating on a Facebook Group that enables quality learning based on reciprocal sharing of experiences and knowledge by its members. This helps tackle comfort issues experienced, lower the cost of living, and share bespoke, context-specific home use best practice. Strong engagement and leadership of group administrators limited to early stages of the Groups’ formation followed by high rate of activity by the majority of members was key. There was a clear overlap observed between social media narrative and the physical experiences of daily life, which helps support residents. The analysis suggests the positive effect of the learning environment created bottom-up would not be easily transferable to professional applications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Bednárik

Manapság egyre többet emlegetjük a közoktatásban, hogy milyen nagymértékben befolyásolja egy iskola sikerességét a vezető személye, a vezetés rátermettsége, kompetenciája, amely természetesen igaz is, azonban azt tapasztalom, hogy ezzel párhuzamosan egyre gyakrabban feledkezünk meg arról, hogy az iskola legfontosabb és legértékesebb szegmense valójában a diákság. Szakgimnáziumi illetve szakközépiskolai tanárként, valamint osztályfőnökként mindig az ő érdekeiket tartottam szem előtt; az ő viselkedésüknek megfigyelését és megértését, lelki és intellektuális fejlődésük nyomon követését kiemelt feladatomnak érzem. Vizsgálatomban egy ún. panelvizsgálatnak a segítségével 30 szakgimnáziumi és 30 szakközépiskolai tanulót kérdeztem meg a következő témákról: a vizsgált tanuló önértékelése, a vizsgált tanuló tapasztalata saját szüleinek nevelői attitűdjéről, valamint a vizsgált tanuló élménye az általa leggyakrabban tapasztalt pedagógusi attitűdökről. Ezután a felmérés kiértékelését követően igyekeztem összefüggést keresni a szülői valamint pedagógusi attitűdök és a tanuló önértékelése között, azt remélve, hogy mérhető bizonyítékot kapok arra vonatkozóan, mely szülői illetve mely pedagógusi attitűdök befolyásolják kedvezően, és melyek befolyásolják negatívan a tanulók önértékelését. Ha ez valóban mérhető, akkor célzottabb nevelési módszereket alkalmazhatunk a tanulók motiválása, egészséges énképének kialakítása érdekében, valamint információkat gyűjthetünk arról, mely életkorban mely pedagógusi attitűdök hatnak leginkább pozitívan a tanulói önértékelésre, ami segítségül szolgálhat a lehető leghatékonyabb tanári kar megszervezésében, illetve a pedagógusok munkájának orientálásában.These days, it is more and more often mentioned how strongly the person of the leader and the aptness and competence of the leadership influence the successfulness of the school in public education, and meanwhile we more and more often forget that the most important and most valuable segment of the school is in fact students. As a vocational school teacher, as well as a class-teacher, I have always focused on their interests, and have considered as a prime task to monitor and understand their behaviour and to follow their mental and intellectual development. In my examination, with the help of a so-called panel research, I asked 30 vocational secondary school students and 30 vocational technical school students about the following issues: self-evaluation of the examined student, the student’s experience on the educational attitudes of his/her own parents and the student’s experience on the teachers’ attitudes he/she meets the most often. After having the survey evaluated, I tried to find interconnections between the parents’ and the teachers’ attitudes and the student’s self-estimation, hoping that I would get a measurable proof of what attitudes have a positive influence on the students’ self-estimation and what have negative impacts. In case this is really measurable, we can apply more targeted educational methods to motivate the students and to develop a healthy self-image, and we can also gather information on the teachers’ attitudes exerting the most positive effects on the students’ self-estimation at the certain ages, which can help to organize the most effective teaching staff possible and the orientation of the teachers’ work.


Author(s):  
Kurt Schmidinger ◽  
Diana Bogueva ◽  
Dora Marinova

This chapter summarizes the global problems associated with livestock production and meat consumption and shows solution strategies through replacing animal products with plant-based alternatives. The positive effects of plant-based alternatives on human health and the environment are reviewed together with approaches for reducing world hunger. Psychological strategies for nutritional transitions towards more sustainable consumption patterns and criteria for market success of meat alternatives are presented. This is followed by an overview of meat alternatives – from soy1, lupine or wheat based, to bleeding burgers and artificial intelligence concepts. Marketing strategies and best practice policy suggestions complete the chapter.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn S. Nanney ◽  
Tara L. LaRowe ◽  
Cynthia Davey ◽  
Natasha Frost ◽  
Chrisa Arcan ◽  
...  

Background. Long-term evaluation studies reveal that high-quality early care and education (ECE) programs that include a lifestyle component predict later adult health outcomes. The purpose of this article is to characterize the nutrition and physical activity (PA) practices, including implementation difficulty and barriers, of licensed center- and family home-based ECE programs serving 2- to 5-year-old children in Minnesota (MN) and Wisconsin (WI). Method. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to select representative cross sections of licensed ECE providers in MN and WI. A total of 2,000 providers (1,000 center-based, 1,000 family home-based) were randomly selected and invited to respond to a 97-item survey with questions representing (1) nutrition and PA practices, (2) barriers to meeting nutrition and PA best practices, and (3) written and implemented nutrition and PA policies. Summated scales were constructed for nutrition-related (range 0-15; Cronbach’s α = .86) and for PA-related best practices (range 0-10; Cronbach’s α = .82). Results. A total of 823 providers returned surveys between August 2010 and March 2011, resulting in a 44% bistate participation rate. Across all programs an average ( SD) of 7.0 (4.1) nutrition best practices were already implemented. Center-based providers reported on average 0.8 additional nutrition best practice (7.4 vs. 6.6, p = .01). Across all programs an average ( SD) of 5.2 (3.1) PA best practices were already implemented. Center-based providers reported on average one more PA best practice (5.3 vs. 4.3, p < .01). The cost of healthy food and the weather were identified as barriers by 80% of providers, regardless of program type.


2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1535) ◽  
pp. 3505-3513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Pantic

This article introduces recent advances in the machine analysis of facial expressions. It describes the problem space, surveys the problem domain and examines the state of the art. Two recent research topics are discussed with particular attention: analysis of facial dynamics and analysis of naturalistic (spontaneously displayed) facial behaviour. Scientific and engineering challenges in the field in general, and in these specific subproblem areas in particular, are discussed and recommendations for accomplishing a better facial expression measurement technology are outlined.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Imlig-Iten ◽  
Dominik Petko

Background and Aim. Serious games are generally considered to have positive effects on many aspects of learner engagement as well as on cognitive learning gains and subject-related interest. Yet few studies have examined which combination of game elements influence engagement and learning, and how these factors are related. For this reason, an experimental study was conducted to explore these aspects with regard to digital serious games. Method. Twelve primary school classes with 153 students from 9 to 12 years of age participated in this experimental field study using group comparisons. The students were randomly assigned to interact either with an educational simulation or a digital serious game. The results were analyzed using t-tests and hierarchical linear regressions. Results and Conclusion. Results show that there are no group differences in tested learning gains nor in self-reported cognitive learning gains or increase in interest. Although there are also no differences regarding enjoyment, self-reported levels of deep thinking are higher when learning with a serious game. While post-test knowledge is only influenced by prior knowledge, self-reported cognitive learning gains and increases in interest are both positively correlated with deep thinking and enjoyment. These results lead to the conclusion that learning with serious games does not always lead to the expected increases in all aspects of engagement and learning outcomes. Thus, research needs to address the interplay of game elements and their impact on engagement and learning in more detail.


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