Effects of constructing versus playing an educational game on student motivation and deep learning strategy use

In this study the effects of two different interactive learning tasks, in which simple games were included were described with respect to student motivation and deep strategy use. The research involved 235 students from four elementary schools in The Netherlands. One group of students (N = 128) constructed their own memory ‘drag and drop’ game, whereas the other group (N = 107) played an existing ‘drag and drop’ memory game. Analyses of covariance demonstrated a significant difference between the two conditions both on intrinsic motivation and deep strategy use. The large effect sizes for both motivation and deep strategy use were in favour of the construction condition. The results suggest that constructing a game might be a better way to enhance student motivation and deep learning than playing an existing game. Despite the promising results, the low level of complexity of the games used is a study limitation.     

Experience beyond knowledge: Pragmatic e-learning systems design with learning experience

With the growing demand in e-learning system, traditional e-learning systems have dramatically evolved to provide more adaptive ways of learning, in terms of learning objectives, courses, individual learning processes, and so on. This paper reports on differences in learning experience from the learner’s perspectives when using an adaptive e-learning system, where the learner’s knowledge or skill level is used to configure the learning path. Central to this study is the evaluation of a dynamic content sequencing system (DCSS), with empirical outcomes being interpreted using Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory (i.e., Flow, Boredom, and Anxiety). A total of 80 participants carried out a one-way between-subject study controlled by the type of e-learning system (i.e., the DCSS vs. the non-DCSS). The results indicated that the lower or medium achievers gained certain benefits from the DCSS, whilst the high achievers in learning performance might suffer from boredom when using the DCSS. These contrasting findings can be suggested as a pragmatic design guideline for developing more engaging computer-based learning systems for unsupervised learning situations.     

Digital Game-Based Learning in high school Computer Science education: Impact on educational effectiveness and student motivation

The aim of this study was to assess the learning effectiveness and motivational appeal of a computer game for learning computer memory concepts, which was designed according to the curricular objectives and the subject matter of the Greek high school Computer Science (CS) curriculum, as compared to a similar application, encompassing identical learning objectives and content but lacking the gaming aspect. The study also investigated potential gender differences in the game’s learning effectiveness and motivational appeal. The sample was 88 students, who were randomly assigned to two groups, one of which used the gaming application (Group A, N = 47) and the other one the non-gaming one (Group B, N = 41). A Computer Memory Knowledge Test (CMKT) was used as the pretest and posttest. Students were also observed during the interventions. Furthermore, after the interventions, students’ views on the application they had used were elicited through a feedback questionnaire. Data analyses showed that the gaming approach was both more effective in promoting students’ knowledge of computer memory concepts and more motivational than the non-gaming approach. Despite boys’ greater involvement with, liking of and experience in computer gaming, and their greater initial computer memory knowledge, the learning gains that boys and girls achieved through the use of the game did not differ significantly, and the game was found to be equally motivational for boys and girls. The results suggest that within high school CS, educational computer games can be exploited as effective and motivational learning environments, regardless of students’ gender.     

Serious games and learning effectiveness: The case of It’s a Deal!

Although the value of serious games in education is undeniable and the potential benefits of using video games as ideal companions to classroom instruction is unquestionable, there is still little consensus on the game features supporting learning effectiveness, the process by which games engage learners, and the types of learning outcomes that can be achieved through game play. Our aim in this discussion is precisely to advance in this direction by providing evidence of some of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of a serious game called It’s a Deal! This serious game was created for the purpose of teaching intercultural business communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. This paper hypothesizes that the immersive, all-embracing and interactive learning environment provided by the video game to its users may contribute to develop and enhance their intercultural communicative competence. The study attempts to answer three main research questions: (a) after playing It’s a Deal!, did the students sampled improve their intercultural awareness, intercultural knowledge and intercultural communicative competence in business English? (b) If they improved their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such improvement? And (c) if they did not improve their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such failure? The game participants who volunteered to take part in the study were all students of English Studies at the University of Alicante in the academic year 2010-2011. One hundred and six students completed both the pre-test and the post-test questionnaires, and played It’s a Deal! A sample of fifty students was selected randomly for the empirical study. The results obtained in the tests performed were compared and contrasted intra-group, both qualitatively and quantitatively, for the purpose of finding any statistically significant difference that may confirm whether or not there was an improvement in the students’ intercultural communicative competence in business English as a result of the implementation of the It’s a Deal! serious game. Findings of this study demonstrate that the video game is an effective learning tool for the teaching of intercultural communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. In particular, whereas the game had a small learning effect on intercultural awareness and a medium learning effect on intercultural knowledge, it had a large learning effect on intercultural communicative competence. The study also documents correlating factors that make serious games effective, since it shows that the learning effectiveness of It’s a Deal! stems from the correct balance of the different dimensions involved in the creation of serious games, specifically instructional content, game dimensions, game cycle, debriefing, perceived educational value, transfer of learnt skills and intrinsic motivation.     

Using Serious Games in Data Communications and Networking Management Course

Data communications and networking management is one important course taught in business schools. To prepare themselves for future career, students need to acquire the data communications skills and the higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) from this course so that they relate the relevance of the theory to practical problems. Prior literature shows that serious games offer an ability to trigger enjoyment in learning this difficult subject. Therefore, in this study, we empirically examined the effects of serious game feature on students’ learning experience, focusing particularly on concentration and enjoyment, as well as measuring the perceived improvement in their HOCS. The results revealed that features of serious games have positive effects on students’ concentration and enjoyment, and such learning experience did indeed significantly improve their perceived HOCS. The results encourage faculty members to adopt serious games to teach difficult subjects in the field of management information systems.     

Automatic detection of learning styles for an e-learning system

A desirable characteristic for an e-learning system is to provide the learner the most appropriate information based on his requirements and preferences. This can be achieved by capturing and utilizing the learner model. Learner models can be extracted based on personality factors like learning styles, behavioral factors like user’s browsing history and knowledge factors like user’s prior knowledge. In this paper, we address the problem of extracting the learner model based on Felder–Silverman learning style model. The target learners in this problem are the ones studying basic science. Using NBTree classification algorithm in conjunction with Binary Relevance classifier, the learners are classified based on their interests. Then, learners’ learning styles are detected using these classification results. Experimental results are also conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed automated learner modeling approach. The results show that the match ratio between the obtained learner’s learning style using the proposed learner model and those obtained by the questionnaires traditionally used for learning style assessment is consistent for most of the dimensions of Felder–Silverman learning style.     

Students’ expectations of,and experiences in e-learning: Their relation to learning achievements and course satisfaction

Within only a few years, the use of e-learning has increased rapidly in Austria. In certain subjects, up to 60% of university students report using e-learning platforms at least ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’ (Unger & Wroblewski, 2006). Yet, which aspects of e-learning do students consider important for their learning achievements and course satisfaction? This question was addressed by surveying 2196 students from 29 universities in Austria about their expectations of, and experiences in e-learning. Multiple regression analyses using Mplus 4.21 were carried out to investigate how different facets of students’ expectations and experiences are related to perceived learning achievements and course satisfaction.     

The effects of computer-based games and collaboration in large groups vs. collaboration in pairs or traditional methods

As new technologies have emerged in the last few years, the learning process has been changing. New and powerful e-learning systems are being developed and new teaching methods can be used in classrooms. In this paper, we present a computer-based game with an educational background that is played on a large-size tabletop display. The game can be used as reinforcement for educational content related to historical ages. The game uses natural interaction. A study to compare the traditional learning method with a collaborative learning method using the game was carried out. A group of up to 12 children could learn together using the game. The experience of children in large groups was also compared with the experience of children playing in pairs. One hundred children between 8 and 11 years old participated in the study; they were divided into three groups (LGroup, Pairs, TClass). When the pre-test and the post-test results were compared, it was shown that the children learned the contents in all three groups. The results also showed that there were statistically significant differences between the traditional method and the game played in a large group in favour of children who played the game in the large group. The knowledge acquired was independent from gender and age. There were no statistically significant differences between learning in large groups or learning in pairs. In both cases, the children expressed their satisfaction for the game and found it easy to use. Therefore, playing games of this type collaboratively in large groups or in pairs can be a valuable learning method that can be combined with traditional methods.     

A study of the relationships among learning styles, participation types, and performance in programming language learning supported by online forums

This study is focused on the relationships among learning styles, participation types, and learning performance for programming language learning supported by an online forum. Kolb’s learning style inventory was used in this study to determine a learner’s learning type: ‘Diverger’, ‘Assimilator’, ‘Converger’, and ‘Accommodator’. Social Learning Theory was also used to define four participation types. These types in turn were used to describe the learning associated with the use of online forums: ‘Replier’, ‘Asker’, ‘Watcher’, and ‘No activity’.A total of 144 students participated in this experiment as part of a half semester ASP.NET programming language learning courses. The course contained an online forum for supporting the students’ social activities and participation. In this study, ‘learning score’ and ‘satisfaction’ were used to measure learning performance.The results of this study were the following: (1) different learning styles were associated with significantly different learning scores and that the ‘Accommodator’ style was associated with superior learning scores; (2) participation types were also associated with significantly different learning scores and that the ‘Replier’ type is associated with superior learning scores; (3) learning satisfaction is not significantly different among the different learning styles or different participation types, but the average is significantly higher than average values (3.5) of 7-point Likert scale; (4) there is no significant association between learning styles and participation types. Explanations and discussions of these results are offered.Based on the results of this study, we propose that programming language learning, supported with online forums and students’ active participation, increases learning performance as measured by student learning scores.     

Implementation and performance evaluation of parameter improvement mechanisms for intelligent e-learning systems

In recent years, designing useful learning diagnosis systems has become a hot research topic in the literature. In order to help teachers easily analyze students’ profiles in intelligent tutoring system, it is essential that students’ portfolios can be transformed into some useful information to reflect the extent of students’ participation in the curriculum activity. It is observed that students’ portfolios seldom reflect students’ actual studying behaviors in the learning diagnosis systems given in the literature; we thus propose three kinds of learning parameter improvement mechanisms in this research to establish effective parameters that are frequently used in the learning platforms. The proposed learning parameter improvement mechanisms can calculate the students’ effective online learning time, extract the portion of a message in discussion section which is strongly related to the learning topics, and detect plagiarism in students’ homework, respectively. The derived numeric parameters are then fed into a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to predict each learner’s performance in order to verify whether they mirror the student’s studying behaviors. The experimental results show that the prediction rate for the SVM classifier can be increased up to 35.7% in average after the inputs to the classifier are “purified” by the learning parameter improvement mechanisms. This splendid achievement reveals that the proposed algorithms indeed produce the effective learning parameters for commonly used e-learning platforms in the literature.     

The influence of the level of free-choice learning activities on the use of an educational computer game

Employing a mixed-method explorative approach, this study examined the in situ use of and opinions about an educational computer game for learning English introduced in three schools offering different levels of freedom to choose school activities. The results indicated that the general behaviour of the children with the game was very different for each of the schools while there were no significant differences in subjective opinions or previous computer game experience as measured with a questionnaire. The gaming records and interviews informed that children do enjoy playing the game in comparison with other formal learning activities, but appreciate it less as a leisure-time activity. Furthermore it appears that children used to teacher-initiated activities tend to depend on their teacher’s directions for how and when to play. The study highlights the level of choice as one of the important aspects to consider when introducing a game in the classroom. The study also points out some suggestions for the design of educational games, such as providing communication possibilities between players and integrating fast-paced motor-skill based games with learning content in a meaningful way.     

Investigating the impact of video games on high school students’ engagement and learning about genetics

The popularity of video games has transcended entertainment crossing into the world of education. While the literature base on educational gaming is growing, there is still a lack of systematic study of this emerging technology’s efficacy. This quasi-experimental study evaluated a teacher created video game on genetics in terms of its affective and cognitive impact on student users. While statistical results indicated no differences (p > .05) in student learning as measured by our instrument, there were significant differences (p < .05) found in the participants’ level of engagement while interfacing with the video game. Implications on this emerging line of inquiry are discussed.     

Are educational computer micro-games engaging and effective for knowledge acquisition at high-schools? A quasi-experimental study

Curricular schooling can benefit from the usage of educational computer games, but it is difficult to integrate them in the formal schooling system. Here, we investigate one possible approach to this integration, which capitalizes on using a micro-game that can be played with a teacher’s guidance as a supplement after a traditional expository lecture followed by a debriefing. The game’s purpose is to reinforce and integrate part of the knowledge learnt during the lecture. We investigated feasibility of this approach in a quasi-experimental study in 70 min long seminars on the topic of animal learning at 5 classes at 4 different high-schools in the Czech Republic. Each class was divided to two groups randomly. After an expository lecture, the game group played a game called Orbis Pictus Bestialis while the control group received an extra lecture that used media-rich materials. The time allotment was the same in both groups. We investigated the immediate and one month delayed effects of the game on students’ knowledge reinforced and integrated by the game as well as on knowledge learnt during the expository lecture but not strengthened by the game. We also investigated students’ overall appeal towards the seminar and its perceived educational value. Data from 100 students were analysed. The results showed that a) the game-playing is comparable to the traditional form of teaching concerning immediate knowledge gains and has a significant medium positive effect size regarding retention, b) the game-playing is not detrimental to information transmitted in the expository lecture but not strengthened by the game, c) perceived educational value and the overall appeal were high in the game group, nevertheless the perceived educational value was slightly lower in the game group comparing to the traditional group. Our results suggest that the proposed approach of harnessing educational computer games at high-schools is promising.     

Separating models of learning with faulty teachers

We study the power of two models of faulty teachers in Valiant’s PAC learning model and Angluin’s exact learning model. The first model we consider is learning from an incomplete membership oracle introduced by Angluin and Slonim [D. Angluin, D.K. Slonim, Randomly fallible teachers: Learning monotone DNF with an incomplete membership oracle, Machine Learning 14 (1) (1994) 7–26]. In this model, the answers to a random subset of the learner’s membership queries may be missing. The second model we consider is random persistent classification noise in membership queries introduced by Goldman, Kearns and Schapire [S. Goldman, M. Kearns, R. Schapire, Exact identification of read-once formulas using fixed points of amplification functions, SIAM Journal on Computing 22 (4) (1993) 705–726]. In this model, the answers to a random subset of the learner’s membership queries are flipped.     

Enjoy and learn with educational games: Examining factors affecting learning performance

Educational games have enhanced the value of instruction procedures in institutions and business organizations. Factors that increase students' adoption of learning games have been widely studied in past; however, the effect of these factors on learners' performance is yet to be explored. In this study, factors of Enjoyment, Happiness, and Intention to Use were chosen as important attitudes in learning educational games and increasing learning performance. A two-step between group experiment was conducted: the first study compared game-based learning and traditional instruction in order to verify the value of the game. 41 Gymnasium (middle school) students were involved, and the control and experimental groups were formed based on a pretest method. The second study, involving 46 Gymnasium students, empirically evaluates whether and how certain attitudinal factors affect learners' performance. The results of the two-part experiment showed that a) the game demonstrated good performance (as compared to traditional instruction) concerning the gain of knowledge, b) learners' enjoyment of the game has a significant relation with their performance, and c) learners' intention to use and happiness with the game do not have any relation with their performance. Our results suggest that there are attitudinal factors affecting knowledge acquisition gained by a game.     

Learning motivation in e-learning facilitated computer programming courses

Computer programming skills constitute one of the core competencies that graduates from many disciplines, such as engineering and computer science, are expected to possess. Developing good programming skills typically requires students to do a lot of practice, which cannot sustain unless they are adequately motivated. This paper reports a preliminary study that investigates the key motivating factors affecting learning among university undergraduate students taking computer programming courses. These courses are supported by an e-learning system – Programming Assignment aSsessment System (PASS), which aims at providing an infrastructure and facilitation to students learning computer programming. A research model is adopted linking various motivating factors, self-efficacy, as well as the effect due to the e-learning system. Some factors are found to be notably more motivating, namely, ‘individual attitude and expectation’, ‘clear direction’, and ‘reward and recognition’. The results also suggest that a well facilitated e-learning setting can enhance learning motivation and self-efficacy.     

The effects of organizational learning environment factors on e-learning acceptance

Workplace learning is an important means of employees’ continuous learning and professional development. E-learning is being recognized as an important supportive practice for learning at work. Current research on the success factors of e-learning in the workplace has emphasized on employees’ characteristics, technological attributes, and training design elements, with little attention to workplace contextual effects. The study aims to investigate the impacts of organizational learning environment factors, including managerial support, job support, and organizational support, on employees’ motivation to use a workplace e-learning system. A model was proposed based on the expectancy theory of training motivation and the social influences and facilitating conditions in technology acceptance models. The model was tested on sample data collected from mainland China using Structural Equation Modeling and Moderated Structural Equation Modeling. The results suggested that employees’ perceived managerial support and job support had a significant impact on their perceived usefulness of the e-learning system for individual learning, and that perceived organizational support had a significant influence on the perceived usefulness of the e-learning system for social learning. Perceived usefulness for individual learning was found to completely mediate the environmental influences on individuals’ motivation to use the system, while perceived usefulness for social learning made partial mediation in the effects of the environmental factors on intention to use. In addition, perceived job support was found to have moderating effects on the relationship between employees’ perceived usefulness of the e-learning system and their intention to use the system. Consistent with previous findings, employees’ perceptions about the usefulness of the e-learning system have significant effects on their intention to use the system in the work setting.     

A web-based e-learning system for increasing study efficiency by stimulating learner’s motivation

Due to the opportunities provided by the Internet, more and more people are taking advantage of distance learning courses and during the last few years enormous research efforts have been dedicated to the development of distance learning systems. So far, many e-learning systems are proposed and used practically. However, in these systems the e-learning completion rate is about 30%. One of the reasons is the low study desire when the learner studies the learning materials. In this research, we propose an interactive Web-based e-learning system. The purpose of our system is to increase the e-learning completion rate by stimulating learner’s motivation. The proposed system has three subsystems: the learning subsystem, learner support subsystem, and teacher support subsystem. The learning subsystem improves the learner’s study desire. The learner support subsystem supports the learner during the study, and the teacher support subsystem supports the teacher to get the learner’s study state. To evaluate the proposed system, we developed several experiments and surveys. By using new features such as: display of learner’s study history, change of interface color, encourage function, ranking function, self-determination of the study materials, and grouping of learners, the proposed system can increase the learning efficiency.

Clarifying the empirical connection of new entrants’ e-learning systems use to their job adaptation and their use patterns under the collective-individual training environment

In recent years, with the development of e-learning, it is feasible for enterprises to adopt information systems to enhance organizations’ human capital and knowledge renewal for competition. e-Learning systems designed for new entrants training aim to facilitate new entrants’ job adaptation; however, the empirical link between their system use and job adaptation lacks. In addition, the influence of environmental variables on new entrants’ e-learning training still needs clarification. Thus, based on the theoretical framework of the IS (information system) success model, this study is motivated to make an empirical connection of new entrants’ e-learning systems use to their job adaptation, including organizational socialization and overall job-adaptation outcome, and also to clarify their system use patterns under different collective-individual socialization training environments. Data from one hundred and eighty-six valid respondents who entered their organizations within a year were gathered and analyzed with PLS (partial least square). The results suggested the valid connection of new entrants’ e-learning systems use to their organizational socialization and overall job-adaptation outcome. New entrants also presented partially different system use patterns for adaptation under the different human interaction environments. The findings facilitated the design of training programs for new entrants at the e-learning environment.