Games Based Learning in the Classroom Evaluation Project 2007 - 2008

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Contents 1 The project 2 Executive Summary 3 Key Findings 4 Full Report available here 5 Scenarios and Case Studies

The project

In 2007, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) and Caspian Learning, worked together on this project, funded by Becta, to evaluate and develop Thinking Worlds™ as both a 3D Learning Based Games Resource and as a “Flexible Design Tool” with the following outcomes.

Executive Summary

Children and adults are engaged in playing computer games at home and derive enjoyment from them. This project set out to determine whether the use of 3D computer games in the classroom had the potential to improve student engagement in learning and whether it offered a tool to improve student thinking skills.

This programme was a partnership between Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), Caspian Learning and the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA).

Thinking Worlds ™ technology was made freely available to all ICT register schools within the SSAT’s ICT register community. A focus group of 25 schools was sought. These schools were required to feedback on their experiences with the technology in a structured learning environment.

The schools reported that the inclusion of the 3D Games in the curriculum had a positive effect on learning for all students. Pupils of all abilities were engaged with the games and teachers were able to use the games in a variety of teaching contexts. Heavily text based games inevitably proved difficult for pupils with weak literacy skills.

The process of developing games added to the creativity of pupils, engaging them in evaluation, audience and assessment of their tasks and creating games proved a good vehicle for collaborative learning. The ability to edit and create learning based games was seen as essential by teachers. Authoring tools need to be intuitive as teachers and students need to be able to create games without too much difficulty.

The variety of hardware and network infrastructure in schools and level of technical expertise available still presents a barrier to the adoption of high quality 3D software packages, requiring the setting up of user accounts and the collection of performance data.

The use of 3D games has much to offer across all phases of education and their wider use is recommended.

Key Findings

The following results are summaries of the key findings of this study:

• 89% of pupils in the study stated that they preferred the use of learning based games in the classroom compared to the more traditional ‘chalk and talk’ lessons.

• There was no significant difference noted by any of the educators between male or female pupils engaging with the learning based games within the classrooms.

• The majority of the teachers involved in the study confirmed that they would recommend the use of serious games in the classroom as a novel teaching tool, in particular with respect to behaviourally challenged pupils.

• Learning based games in the classroom was shown to be engaging to the pupils and useful as a classroom management tool.

• Teachers reported that they felt games were flexible learning tools which provide challenging and creative activity for most pupils.

• The ability to edit and create learning based games was seen as positive, allowing teachers to customise and personalise the learning experience for a particular cohort or individual pupil.

• Teachers reported that they felt that the preparation time required to use learning based games live in a classroom was greater than that for a more traditional methods.

• Teacher reports of improvement of meta-cognition were inconclusive as it was felt that there were no specific measures to quantitatively asses any improvements in the pupils.

• A number of technical issues were reported (and later resolved by Caspian Learning) with regards to the network installation of Thinking Worlds ™.

• In a number of schools hardware and network infrastructure and level of technical expertise still presents a barrier to adoption of high quality 3D software packages.

• In a number of schools hardware and network infrastructure and level of technical expertise still presents a barrier to adoption of software packages requiring the setting up of user accounts and the collection of performance data.

Full Report available here

Scenarios and Case Studies

Learning through Games, Abbey Junior School in Partnership with Shireland City Learning Centre, Sandwell

Talking Heads

Learning through Games, Pluckley Primary School