Learning and Motivational Impact of Game-Based Learning: Comparing Face-to-Face and Online Formats on Computer Science Education

Learning and Motivational Impact of Game-Based Learning: Comparing Face-to-Face and Online Formats on Computer Science Education

Learning and Motivational Impact of Game-Based Learning: Comparing Face-to-Face and Online Formats on Computer Science Education

Daniel López-Fernández, Aldo Gordillo, Jennifer Pérez, Edmundo Tovar

Abstract

"This article analyzes the learning and motivational impact of teacher-authored educational video games on computer science education and compares its effectiveness in both face-to-face and online (remote) formats. This work presents comparative data and findings obtained from 217 students who played the game in a face-to-face format (control group) and 104 students who played the game in an online format (experimental group). Background: Serious video games have been proven effective at computer science education, however, it is still unknown whether the effectiveness of these games is the same regardless of their format, face-to-face or online. Moreover, the usage of games created through authoring tools has barely been explored. Research Questions: Are teacher-authored educational video games effective in terms of learning and motivation for computer science students? Does the effectiveness of teacher-authored educational video games depend on whether they are used in a face-to-face or online format? Methodology: A quasi-experiment has been conducted by using three instruments (pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire) with the purpose of comparing the effectiveness of game-based learning in face-to-face and online formats. A total of 321 computer science students played a teacher-authored educational video game aimed to learn about software design. Findings: The results reveal that teacher-authored educational video games are highly effective in terms of knowledge acquisition and motivation both in face-to-face and online formats. The results also show that some students’ perceptions were more positive when a face-to-face format was used."

Reference

López-Fernández, D., Gordillo, A., Pérez, J., & Tovar, E. (2023). Learning and motivational impact of game-based learning: Comparing face-to-face and online formats on computer science education. IEEE Transactions on Education, 66(4), 360-368. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10058105

Keywords

Computer Science, Online Format, Computer Science Education