Game platforms like Roblox could be a breakthrough teaching tool
Game platforms like Roblox could be a breakthrough teaching tool
Game platforms like Roblox could be a breakthrough teaching tool
By Greg Toppo
February 4, 2024
Summary
In the process, the new assessments may also push schools to become more creative.
"Can assessment be more exciting? Can assessment be more flexible?".
In November, the Northwest Evaluation Association, which publishes the widely used MAP Growth tests, unveiled a 3D-digital assessment on the popular Roblox gaming platform that tests how well middle-schoolers have learned Newton's Second Law of Motion.
He and others who are supporting these new tests don't mince words: They envision a world where the kind of high-stakes, multiple-choice tests we all grew up with give way to assessments that, for the first time, allow teachers to capture a broader array of "Noncognitive qualities," such as teamwork and creativity, while keeping students focused on learning.
Shute devised the idea of "Stealth assessment," a system that discreetly tests students' learning in interactive and immersive environments, such as digital games.
Kim has spent the past few years developing playful assessments for the classroom, originally with teachers, teacher trainees, and game designers at MIT. Where Shute, her mentor at Florida State University, called it "Stealth assessment," Kim prefers the term "Playful assessment."
Like many in the field, Kim says a big roadblock to more playful tests is that so many school systems use assessments for teacher evaluations.
Reference
Toppo, G. (2024, February 4). Fast Company & Inc. https://www.fastcompany.com/91020706/game-platforms-like-roblox-could-be-a-breakthrough-teaching-tool