ERIC Number: EJ1154983
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1947-8518
EISSN: N/A
Evaluating Games-Based Learning
Hainey, Thomas; Connolly, Thomas
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, v1 n1 Article 5 p57-71 2010
A highly important part of software engineering education is requirements collection and analysis, one of the initial stages of the Software Development Lifecycle. No other conceptual work is as difficult to rectify at a later stage or as damaging to the overall system if performed incorrectly. As software engineering is a field with a reputation for producing graduate engineers who are ill-prepared for real-life software engineering contexts, this paper suggests that traditional educational techniques (e.g. role-play, live-through case studies and paper-based case studies) are insufficient in themselves. In an attempt to address this problem we have developed a games-based learning application to teach requirements collection and analysis at the tertiary education level. One of the main problems with games-based learning is that there is a distinct lack of empirical evidence supporting the approach. This paper will describe the evaluation of the requirements collection and analysis process using a newly developed framework for the evaluation of games-based learning and will focus on evaluation from a pedagogical perspective.
Descriptors: Educational Games, Engineering Education, Design Requirements, Course Evaluation, Computer Software, Computer System Design, Teaching Methods, Computer Simulation, Program Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Data Collection, Educational Technology, Foreign Countries, Pretests Posttests, Statistical Analysis, College Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Scotland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A