Formative Evaluation of an Online Educational Game

This chapter discusses the creation of an educational game about sexually transmitted infections. STIs: Stopping the Transmission was created using the Parcheesi™ generic educational game shell (GEGS). It also presents the validation of the game with experts, followed by its trial with secondary school students to measure the effectiveness of the motivational mechanisms provided by the shell and its adequacy in meeting teachers’ pedagogic requirements.

Validation of a Generic Educational Game Shell

This chapter describes the process of validation of a generic educational game shell (GEGS) with the target users for whom it was created, based on the trial method known as Learner Verification and Revision (LVR). It describes the validation objectives and evaluation criteria (pedagogic and ergonomic) used to develop the measurement instruments. It also describes the methodology for a trial conducted with nine pre-service (student) teachers, finishing with the validation results and resulting revisions to the GEGS.

Usability Guidelines for a Generic Educational Game Shell

This chapter discusses usability rules for avoiding defects in the media design for Generic Educational Game Shell (GEGS) components, including visual interfaces, text, and sound. These rules served as a guide for the Web design of the Parcheesi™ GEGS and the games that it generates. The first section of the chapter deals with the screen, text, color, windows, images, and video as well as sound used in the input forms of the GEGS. The final section discusses some errors to be avoided in the interface design.

Initial Analysis for Creating a Generic Online Educational Game Shell

As the first of five chapters describing the development process for a generic educational game shell, this chapter discusses how the authors analyzed 40 computerized educational games to determine the main characteristics built into digital educational games. The analysis allowed comparison of game attributes with the pedagogic and technical needs of target populations (i.e., primary and secondary school teachers and students) and their learning contexts.

Games for Children with Long-Term Health Problems

Games are designed to generate a high level of motivation and engagement in their players. Game players often display intensity in their interaction with and devotion (compulsion) to a game and play the game over and over. In this chapter, the authors present a framework of motivational constructs found in games that are applicable to the design of interactive health software. The framework includes four dimensions of constructs: control, competency, context, and engagement. The authors developed a platform supporting a variety of games that include these constructs, and through two focus groups we examined the impact of these interactions with children with long-term health disorders. The goal is to determine if games developed with health-related goals provide an opportunity to engage children over time with some responsibility for their own condition; that is, can we build games that function like personalized coaches?

A Study of Biofeedback in a Gaming Environment

This chapter reports on a study of biofeedback in a gaming environment incorporating the acquisition and analysis of physiological data sets in tandem with other behavioral and self-report data sets. Preliminary results presented here provide some groundwork toward subsequent study in this area, as more comprehensive and detailed treatments will require further research. The main contribution and focus of this chapter concerns our experiences in applying methods not typically available to educational researchers. Our results are promising, though they cannot be taken to be definitive. Further developments and applications of these methods will lead to more detailed investigations as to what people may learn or gain from biofeedback in gaming environments, along with interdependencies of biofeedback and gaming pertaining to affect, motivation, behavior and cognition, and perhaps especially, to learning anxiety.

Designing a Generic Educational Game Shell

This chapter describes the design phase of the creation of a generic educational game shell (GEGS) for the frame game Parcheesi™. The frame game structure was adapted through modifications to the game board, materials, and game scenario, and navigation aids were added to guide players. Learning content was integrated into the game, and pedagogical aspects of the game (i.e., objectives, target learners, school learning material) were specified. Mechanisms were added to create various question types and to provide for feedback, debriefing, and game evaluation. Finally, these modifications and additions were summarized into a design plan for the technical/ media development team. Screen and form layouts were used to communicate the plan in non-technical terms for feedback and to further guide the developers. Finally, the Web pages of the GEGS were designed in the form of a model. The chapter closes with suggestions for avoiding common errors in the design of online educational games.

The Learning Impact of Violent Video Games

There is strong research evidence to suggest that exposure to violent video games is related to an increase in aggressive behaviors in children. Violent video games trigger short-term bursts of aggression, but more importantly they can actually change the user’s thinking processes over time. However, there is also strong evidence to the contrary. This chapter presents an overview of recent evidence for and against the argument on violent games and aggression, together with suggestions for ways that parents can help to mitigate negative effects.

The Efficacy of Games and Simulations for Learning

This chapter presents a synthesis of the literature (1998-2008) on the efficacy of games and simulations for learning. Based on definitions and sets of essential attributes for games and for simulations, the authors examine the contributions of each to knowledge structuring and the development of problem solving skills. Noting that games and simulations have positive learning outcomes in various situations, the authors present variables to measure the knowledge and skills developed by learners who use games and simulations. This work is intended to contribute to the development of an analytical framework for future studies on the efficacy of games and simulations for learning.

Designing Socially Expressive Character Agents to Facilitate Learning

This chapter discusses the design and implementation issues around creating an expressive but easy-to-author 3D character-based system. It then describes several application spaces, including simulated face-to-face collaboration, adaptive socially-based presentations in informal learning settings such as public aquariums and science museums, and multi-user, avatar-based distance education scenarios.