Javier Torrente

Digital Games in eLearning Environments

The notion of using games in education is as old as games themselves. In addition, the massive market opened by the digital games industry has caused great interest regarding their specific potential in education. However, this interest is sometimes thwarted by the resistance of traditional educational settings toward technology-enhanced learning and digital games. The future, on the contrary, is much more promising within the eLearning field. This field is in a process of evolution and reinvention, seeking new features and ideas to improve the learning experience. We believe that educational games are a perfect medium for these new directions in eLearning. In this article, the synergies between the new eLearning environments and educational games are explored and reviewed.

Application of a low-cost web-based simulation to improve students’ practical skills in medical education

BACKGROUND Practical sessions in undergraduate medical education are often costly and have to face constraints in terms of available laboratory time and practice materials (e.g. blood samples from animals). This makes it difficult to increase the time each student spends at the laboratory. We consider that it would be possible to improve the effectiveness of the laboratory time by providing the students with computer-based simulations for prior rehearsal. However, this approach still presents issues in terms of development costs and distribution to the students. OBJECTIVE This study investigates the employment of low-cost simulation to allow medical students to rehearse practical exercises through a web-based e-learning environment. The aim is to maximize the efficiency of laboratory time and resources allocated by letting students become familiarized with the equipment and the procedures before they attend a laboratory session, but without requiring large-scale investment. Moreover, students can access the simulation via the Internet and rehearse at their own pace. We have studied the effects of such a simulation in terms of impact on the laboratory session, learning outcomes and student satisfaction. METHODS We created a simulation that covers the steps of a practical exercise in a Physiology course (measuring hematocrit in a blood sample). An experimental group (EG, n=66) played the simulation 1 week before the laboratory session. A control group (CG, n=77) attended the laboratory session without playing the simulation. After the session, all students completed a survey about their perception of the difficulty of the exercise on a scale of 1-10 and the HCT final value that they obtained. The students in the EG also completed a survey about their satisfaction with the experience. RESULTS After the laboratory session, the perceived difficulty of the procedure was lower on average in the EG compared to the CG (3.52 vs. 4.39, 95% CI: 0.16-1.57, P=.016). There was no significant difference in terms of perceived difficulty using the equipment. The HCT measures reported by the EG group also presented a much lower dispersion, meaning a higher reliability, in determining the HCT value (3.10 vs. 26.94, SD; variances significantly different, P<.001, F: 75.25, Dfd: 68.19 for EG and CG). In the satisfaction test, the majority of the students in the EG reported that the experience was positive or very positive (80.7%) and reported that it had helped them to identify and use the equipment (78%) and to perform the exercise (66%). CONCLUSIONS The simulation was well received by students in the EG, who felt more comfortable during the laboratory session, and it helped them to perform the exercise better, obtaining more accurate results, which indicates more effective training. EG students perceived the procedure as easier to perform, but did not report an improvement in the perceived difficulty in using the equipment. The increased reliability demonstrates that low-cost simulations are a good complement to the laboratory sessions.

Instructor-Oriented Authoring Tools for Educational Videogames

Digital games are becoming a rising trend in e-Learning due to their potential educational benefits. However, their application is hindered by issues such as their high production costs and the difficulty of getting instructors involved in the development process, a required aspect in order to achieve educational value. In this paper we propose to tackle those issues by developing new, instructor-oriented, authoring tools for educational videogames. These principles are carried out in the platform: a complete instructor-oriented authoring toolkit for educational point-and-click adventure videogames.

Tracing a Little for Big Improvements: Application of Learning Analytics and Videogames for Student Assessment☆

Abstract Assessment is essential to establish the failure or success of any educational activity. To measure the acquisition of the knowledge covered by the activity and also to determine the effectiveness of the activity itself. The increasing adoption of new technologies is promoting the use of new types of activities in schools, like educational video games that in some cases are developed by the teachers themselves. In this kind of activity, interactivity increases compared to traditional activities (e.g. reading a document), which can be a powerful source of data to feed learning analytics systems that infer knowledge about the effectiveness of the educational process. In this paper, we discuss how a part of the students’ assessment can be achieved semi-automatically by logging the interaction with educational video games. We conclude that even the application of rather simple tracking techniques means an advantage compared to other systems that are fed with less quality data.

A framework to improve evaluation in educational games

The evaluation process is key for educators acceptance of any educational action. The evaluation is challenging in most cases but especially when educational games are used. In educational games if in-game evaluation exist it is usually based on a series of simple goals and whether these goals are achieved (i.e. assessment). But we consider that evaluation can be improved by taking advantage of in-game interaction, such as the user behavior during the game and the type and number of interactions performed by the user while playing. In this paper, we propose an evaluation framework for educational games based on in-game interaction data. We discuss how user interaction data is collected in the most automatic and seamless way possible, how to analyze the data to extract relevant information, and how to present this information in a usable way to educators so they achieve the maximum benefit from the experience. The evaluation framework is implemented as part of the eAdventure educational platform, where it can be used both to improve upon traditional basic assessment methods (i.e. goals, scores & reports) and to provide information to help improve interaction with games (e.g. discovery strategies).

A visual language for the creation of narrative educational games

This paper presents a DSVL that simplifies educational video game development for educators, who do not have programming backgrounds. Other solutions that reduce the cost and complexity of educational video game development have been proposed, but simple to use approaches tailored to the specific needs of educators are still needed. We use a multidisciplinary approach based on visual language and narrative theory concepts to create an easy to understand and maintain description of games. This language specifically targets games of the adventure point-and-click genre. The resulting DVSL uses an explicit flow representation to help educational game authors (i.e. educators) to design the story-flow of adventure games, while providing specific features for the integration of educational characteristics (e.g. student assessment and content adaptation). These highly visual descriptions can then be automatically transformed into playable educational video games.

Application of Learning Analytics in educational videogames

Abstract Assessment of learning contents, learning progress and learning gain is essential in all learning experiences. New technologies promote the use of new types of contents like educational videogames. They are highly interactive compared to more traditional activities and they can be a powerful source of data for all forms of assessment. In this paper, we discuss how to apply Learning Analytics (LA) with assessment purposes, studying how students interact with games. One of the biggest barriers for this approach is the variety of videogames, with many genres and types. This makes it difficult to create a comprehensive LA model for educational games that can be generally applied. In order to maintain manageable costs, we propose a two-step approach to apply LA: we first identify simple generic traces and reports that could be applied to any kind of game, and then build game-specific assessment rules based on combinations of these generic traces. This process aims to achieve a balance between the complexity and reusability of the approach, resulting in more scalable LA models for game-based learning. We also test this approach in two preliminary case studies where we explore the use of these techniques to cover different forms of assessment.

A narrative metaphor to facilitate educational game authoring

In this paper we present WEEV (Writing Environment for Educational Video games), a methodology for educational point-and-click adventure game authoring. Our approach aims to allow educators to actively collaborate in the educational game development process, using a narrative-based representation. WEEV is based on a pragmatic reinterpretation of previous works on narrativity and video games, enhanced by the use of a novel visual language to represent the flow of the story or narrative. The WEEV methodology has been implemented into an actual tool based on the already established platform for educational games. This tool was improved with feedback gathered from formative evaluation, end-users testing (i.e. educators), and actual use in the development of an educational game. The system, still under development, presents some user-interaction problems along with a need for the educational effectiveness of the resulting games to be further analyzed. However, this paper highlights that, according to the qualitative results of evaluations, WEEV can indeed be successfully applied to simplify the game creation process and that by using representations of games that educators can understand, WEEV can help provide educational value to games.

Implementing accessibility in educational videogames with

Web-based distance education (often identified as e-learning) is being reinvented to include richer content, with multimedia and interactive experiences that engage the students, thus increasing their motivation. However, the richer the content, the more difficult it becomes to maintain accessibility for people with special needs. Multimedia contents in general and educational games in particular present accessibility challenges that must be addressed to maintain e-learning inclusivity. Usually the accessibility of multimedia content in courses is addressed with the definition of simpler but more accessible content that diminishes the benefits of the richer content. Hence we need new, accessible multimedia technologies that guarantee that the learning experience is motivating and engaging to all students. We will focus our work on educational games, trying to leverage their engaging narratives to produce educational experiences that are attractive to all students, including people with special needs. Nonetheless the development of accessible games is a major challenge, due mostly to the additional development cost it involves. In this paper we present how the game platform facilitates the development of educational videogames for e-learning, simplifying the introduction of accessibility from the design stage of the game development process.

Mobile Game Development for Multiple Devices in Education

Mobile learning and educational gaming are two trends that are rapidly having an increasing impact in Technology-Enhanced Learning. However, both approaches present significant technological challenges. Mobile technologies are very diverse and the market pressure pushes the continuous development of new technologies and features. On the other hand, game-based learning needs to deal with enormous development costs and the problem of allowing instructors and experts to actively participate in the game development process. Moreover, there are numerous situations where bringing both approaches together could be very useful, but this combination magnifies the technological barriers previously described. In this work we present , an authoring environment for educational adventure games that supports the production of both desktop and mobile games. This framework provides a graphical environment that allows instructors to create their own educational games with a low cost. Then, the games can be exported to multiple formats, including support for diverse types of mobile platforms. This is achieved through a modular semi-automated exportation process, which is based on mobile device profiles.