Applying learning analytics to simplify serious games deployment in the classroom
This document discusses how learning analytics can help simplify the deployment of serious games in the classroom. Serious games have been shown to be effective for learning, but are difficult to incorporate into curriculums due to challenges in assessing student learning and understanding student experiences in the games. The GLEANER framework allows capturing game traces to provide real-time analytics on student performance, difficulties, and learning achievements to teachers. An example game called "Lost in XML Space" aimed to teach XML was used, and learning analytics helped instructors understand what students were doing and identify behavioral changes when students knew their actions were being tracked. While learning analytics show potential, open issues remain around distinguishing exploration from errors and assessing long-term learning across games.
Applying learning analytics to simplify serious games deployment in the classroom
- 1. Applying learning analytics to simplify serious games deployment in the classroom EDUCOM 2014 Conference, Instambul Baltasar Fernandez-Manjon, balta@fdi.ucm.es , @BaltaFM e-UCM research group, www.e-ucm.es http://www.slideshare.net/BaltasarFernandezManjon/
- 2. Serious Games use? ‣ Serious Games have probed to be educationally effective in several domains • Medicine, military, business, corporate training ‣ But still is a low adoption of Serious Games ‣ Difficult to include Serious Games in the learning curriculum • Assessment of acquired learning? ‣ Difficult to deploy the games in the classroom • What are the students actually doing? • What are they learning? • What are the difficulties are they confronting? 2
- 3. SG deploymen:Black box model ‣ Games as “isolated” pieces of content ‣ No information about what is happening during the in-game play ‣ Or very simple • Completed or not completed • Time used 3 del Blanco et al (2013). Using e-Learning standards in educational video games. Computer Standards & Interfaces 36 (1) pp. 178–187
- 4. Learning analytics 4 ‣ Improving education based on data analysis • Evidence based education ‣ Many options • When the data is analyzed? - off-line vs real-time • What data is analyzed? - log records, interactions, biometric data … • What amount of data and on how many users? - Intensive vs extensive ‣ Can learning analytics help to deploy serious games as effective learning content in the classroom?
- 5. GLEANER ‣ GLEANER: Game Learning Analytics for education research • Open code framework to capture game traces 5 Reference model in the EU NoE GALA Available as open code at http://e-ucm.github.io/gleaner/
- 7. Lost in XML Space 7 http://gleaner.e-ucm.es/lostinspace/play/
- 8. About the XML game... ‣ A single user platform game to learn about XML • Learn the syntax and basic concepts (document schema) • Gain agility writing and reading XML documents ‣ Designed as a complementary activity in a Web Technology Course ‣ Experiment: Gamified experience in the classroom Goals • First to complete the game • Maximum points in the game but • Initially students were not informed that LA was in place After some playing time LA data was showed to the
- 9. Understanding the game… Goal Main character Power-ups (new syntax elements) Write XML snippets here to move the main character to the goal
- 10. Main dashboard (GLEANER Report) 10 Teacher view
- 11. Progress report 11 User Session Phases completed Current score Learning achievements Achievements are updated and highlighted in real time
- 12. Detailed traces 12 Filters XML snipets The fragments are updated in real time as submitted by the student. The instructor can filter to see only mistakes, or all the fragments submitted by a specific students.
- 13. Detailed results for a student 13
- 14. Conclusions 14 ‣ LA simplify SG deployment in the classroom ‣ Instructor knows what is happening in the class ‣ Behaviour change when students know that LA was in place • More oriented to success and less exploration or “playing” • Open issues in LA • How to distinguish automatically game exploration from conceptual errors • Long term learning across games • Students love the experience!