Abstract
Gamification methods adapt the mechanics of games to educational environments for the improvement of the teaching-learning process. Serious games play an important role as tools for gamification, in particular in the context of software engineering courses because of the idiosyncratic nature of the topic. However, the studies on the improvement of student performance resulting from the use of gamification and serious games in courses with different contexts are not conclusive. More empirical research is thus needed to obtain reliable results on the effectiveness, benefits and drawbacks. The overall objective of this work is to study the benefits generated by serious games in the teaching-learning process of Computer Engineering degrees, analyzing the impact on the motivation and student satisfaction, as well as on the learning outcomes and results finally achieved. To this end, an intervention is proposed in the subject of Computer Architecture based on two components covering theoretical and practical sessions. In the theoretical sessions, a serious game experience using Kahoot has been introduced, complementing the master classes and class exercises. For the practical sessions, the development of projects with groups of students has been proposed, whose results in terms of computer performance can be compared through a competition (hackathon). Evaluation of the serious game-based intervention has been approached in terms of student satisfaction and motivation, as well as improved academic performance. In order to assess student satisfaction, surveys have been used to assess the effect on student motivation and satisfaction. For the evaluation of academic performance, a comparative analysis between an experimental and a control group has been carried out, noting a slight increase in the experimental group students’ marks.
Highlights
The present work aims to contribute to the study of the potential benefits of serious games on the teaching-learning process in a higher education context, and in relation to computer engineering studies
This study introduces a number of interesting conclusions highlighting the greater importance of gamification in the educational process of software engineering due to the idiosyncrasy of the subject area
In this paper we focus on detailing the effects of Kahoot-based experience with the following objectives: (1) To measure the effect of Kahoot-based intervention on student motivation through satisfaction surveys – To cover this objective, a satisfaction survey has been prepared using the Kahoot platform itself
Summary
The present work aims to contribute to the study of the potential benefits of serious games on the teaching-learning process in a higher education context, and in relation to computer engineering studies. Gamification has become more relevant at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. Some authors define it as the use of typical elements of games in contexts outside the game environment (Deterding et al, 2011). Gamification techniques transfer the mechanics of games to educational environments with the aim of improving motivation, and the teaching-learning process (Lee and Hammer, 2011; De-Marcos et al, 2017). The aim is to encourage interaction between teacher and student in order to increase motivation, leading to an improvement in the capacity to assimilate knowledge and acquire skills
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