Educational Game Ratings

Hi there!

Sorry for the long gap between posts. Erin has been keeping busy with her graduate studies. This semester, she's working with another Arts and Technology graduate student, Dan Hurd, to write a paper about evaluating serious games. Here is the abstract:

In recent years, serious games have garnered increasing attention and acceptance among educators, many of whom believe that games and simulations can be used as effective learning tools. Studies suggest that game-based environments promote active, engaged learning and problem-solving, and may even be as effective as face-to-face instruction. The popular success of titles such as Brain Age and My Spanish Tutor for the Nintendo DS indicate that the general public is intrigued by the potential of serious games and is willing to give game-based learning a try. In the classroom, educators are looking for games that complement their lesson plans.

Some serious games have been criticized for focusing on entertaining gameplay at the expense of sound instructional methodologies. Due to the surge in popularity of educational games, an increasing number have been brought to market. Because no standard for educational games exists, selecting a title for purchase can be confusing.For this reason, a system for evaluating educational games is needed. Although rating systems exist for entertainment games, the criteria used are often inappropriate for evaluating games in an educational context.

This paper proposes an educational games rating system that would rate games on the following criteria: overall value, usability and accessibility, accuracy and appropriateness, engagement and motivation, and stand-alone suitability. These criteria represent areas of interest to educators and parents when considering educational software. The rating system would present scores for each of these criteria, in addition to a final, cumulative assessment that shows at a glance the overall educational value of a title.

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This topic -- the effective use of game technology in education -- is of great interest to Erin, and she's enjoying learning from the research and writing process. She will keep you updated on the paper's progress. Hopefully, she and Dan will find a journal or conference that will accept it once they're finished!