Games As Skins for Online Tests
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Games as Skins for Online Tests Srinivasan Ramani, Venkatagiri Sirigiri, Nila Lohita Panigrahi, Shikha Sabharwal HP Laboratories HPL-2008-92 Keyword(s): multiplayer and social game development, collaboration competition and community, foundation and theory for design Abstract: Games play a dual role: they test the player’s competence, and at the same time provide learning opportunities. They offer a simple form of a reward – the pleasure of playing, without serious consequences for failure. Tests can be converted into games. In this context, it is valuable to create rich “skins” in which tests can be clothed with no major effort. This paper reports research aimed at improving the scope of skins. We have primarily restricted ourselves to skins that accept a test consisting of objective type questions and use it to provide students with a gaming environment. A number of issues are addressed in the context of designing such a system, including collaboration, content creation, content grading, reward structure, team building and personalization. After a discussion of these issues, we proceed to describe features we were able to incorporate in a specific design inspired by the cricket metaphor, which we have implemented. We have started using this game for educational testing at a university level program in engineering. External Posting Date: July 21, 2008 [Fulltext] Approved for External Publication Internal Posting Date: July 21, 2008 [Fulltext] Submitted to Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning, November 17-19, 2008 Banff, Canada © Copyright 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Games as Skins for Online Tests Srinivasan Ramani, Venkatagiri Sirigiri, International Institute of Information Nila Lohita Panigrahi, Shikha Sabharwal Technology and HP Labs India, Bangalore HP Labs India [email protected] management system Moodle [3]. Students have Abstract individual login accounts and can take tests, including those thinly disguised as games. Games play a dual role: they test the player’s competence, and at the same time provide learning 2 The Use of “Skins” opportunities. They offer a simple form of a reward – the pleasure of playing, without serious consequences Most teachers would not like to spend a lot of time for failure. Tests can be converted into games. In this creating educational games, but might be willing to use context, it is valuable to create rich “skins” in which them if they can be “customized” for the context in tests can be clothed with no major effort. This paper which it is going to be used. In this paper, we assume reports research aimed at improving the scope of that many of them would be willing to use software skins. We have primarily restricted ourselves to skins which takes a test in a standard form and enables that accept a test consisting of objective type questions students to play a game based on the test. We think of and use it to provide students with a gaming the game as a skin which the teacher can put on a test environment. A number of issues are addressed in the to make it attractive. The development of such skins is context of designing such a system, including very important if educational games are to be used in collaboration, content creation, content grading, serious educational programs. reward structure, team building and personalization. A widely used type of tests is the Objective Form After a discussion of these issues, we proceed to Test (OFT). We name an item of software an OFT describe features we were able to incorporate in a Skin (OFTS) if it takes an OFT and converts it into a specific design inspired by the cricket metaphor, which game. We explore features of OFT skins that would we have implemented. We have started using this game offer a variety of advantages, and go on to describe a for educational testing at a university level program in skin we have designed and implemented. Design and engineering. development of rich “skins” incorporating several techniques of learning value is feasible because good skins are likely to be reused with a large set of tests on 1 Introduction a large number of campuses. We believe that developing rich skins with a focus on educational tests The value of educational games is widely could be a useful first step. Developing more recognized [1] [2]. In this note we will deal with a comprehensive skins which can support a variety of form educational games we name “Guiz”, using a word learning activities could be made possible by lessons synthesized from “game” and “quiz”. Here quizzes are learnt during the first step. Integration of the made into games giving “low value” rewards to instructional and testing objectives and use of an encourage learning. The reward would be a token impressive visual environment heightening the rather than anything substantial such as a college competitive spirit cannot be ignored in games; but they scholarship. The idea is to “de-risk” playing and to could be considered to be of lower priority in the early take the fear of losing, out of the game. We explore stages of skin design. Considerable design and possible and desirable objectives for such games that development effort is therefore justified. In fact, a skin are practical with the current state of the art in designer needs to consider, prior to the design effort, technology. all possible features that could be consistent with his Our system implementing many of the features game-model. There are a number of skins in use, for described here is running as a Beta on the learning instance, the Snakes and Ladders game [4] distributed 1 by the Moodle Community [5]. However, there is A team structure in a competitive game plenty of room for innovation in skin design. encourages collaboration and peer learning. Since team members wish to maximize the team’s performance, 3 Desirable Features of Skins there is an incentive for extending support to team- mates. Under what circumstances are relatively All skins cannot provide all features. However, homogeneous teams better? Where do non- integrating a number of the following features into a homogeneous teams perform better? Should learners skin makes it valuable to instructors using them. Our be allowed to form teams freely, or should we assign focus will be on skins for tests as we discuss these learners to teams systematically/or at random? These features. issues require further research. Competition is a major factor introducing affect 3.1 Learners and Teams into what would otherwise be purely cognitive activity. The role of affect is central to the attraction of games. Designing on-line educational game skins for Hence, it is desirable to promote some degree of supporting a large number of players at any given time competition between individuals or between teams, has significant advantages. It maximizes the returns whenever possible. when these skins are used on one or more large An interesting form of competition is the networks. It increases the probability that someone tournament in which competitors play against each would be playing at a time a learner wishes to join in. other pair wise, which is possible in a number of A corollary is that it is useful to design a game for games. Each such “match” defines a useful ordering playing over the Internet, ideally using nothing more that can be used as a tool to compare the relative merit than a browser. While some institutions may limit of teams. In turn, earning a good rank becomes the access to their game server only to those on the LAN, motivator to play. Using a sequence of matches, we others may permit access over the Internet. can rank contestants. One way of doing this is as It is also desirable to support different tests to run follows: concurrently on the same server, utilizing a common a) Assign each player a score of 1 to start with skin. This will avoid regimentation and allow the b) Pair the players for the purpose of the next learners a choice of games. match, pairing players with similar scores as A game such as cricket has about half the players far as possible. If more than 2 players have sitting in the pavilion at any time! Only two players roughly equal scores, pair them randomly from the batting side are active. Most of the fielders among themselves. Arrange for all pairs to have little to do most of the time! It is best to avoid this play simultaneously. Two players within a and keep as many players as possible in a highly active pair will play against each other. state. c) Increase the score of the winner in each pair Team play is not always possible. Sometimes a by 1, leaving the loser’s score unchanged. student may need to use an educational game alone. d) Repeat the sequence of steps (b) – (c) some K One way to do this without altering the structure of the times; this implies that every participant will skin is to make virtual players available whenever play K matches. This means that each player needed. Virtual players could perform at pre-set levels will take K different tests. of competence; these could be defined by specifying e) The scores after K repetitions define a partial means and standard deviations for the scores that they ordering of the contestants. should get. These statistical expectations can be An important feature of this design is that a poor ensured by appropriately controlling pseudo-random player is not eliminated from the tournament after one processes involved in the implementation of the virtual match. Every one will play N matches. player facility. Students could be allowed to choose the virtual 3.3 Feedback players they wish to play.