Striking a balance: user-experience and performance in computerized game-based assessment

Abstract

Game-based assessment (GBA) is a new frontier in the assessment industry. However, as with serious games, it will likely be important to find an optimal balance between making the game “fun” versus focusing on achieving the educational goals. We created two minigames to assess students’ knowledge of argumentation skills. We conducted an iterative counter-balanced pre-surveyinteraction-post-survey study with 124 students. We discovered that game presentation sequence and game perceptions are related to performance in two games with varying numbers of game features and alignment to educational content. Specifically, understanding how to play the games is related to performance when users start with a familiar environment and move to one with more game features, whereas enjoyment is related to performance when users start with a more gamified experience before moving to a familiar environment.