Analyzing Students' Self-Perception of Success and Learning Effectiveness Using Gamification in an Online Cybersecurity Course

Abstract

This paper analyzes students' self-perception of success and learning effectiveness after using non-compulsory gamification in an online Cybcourse. For this purpose, we designed a cybersecurity game based on cognitive constructivism learning theory. We built the game scenes using metaphors to present the main Cybersecurity contents to the students. We delivered the game in a regular course with two objectives: first, to find the primary design factors that affect students' self-perception of success. We propose a structural equation model to find out the elements with the most significant impact on the students' self-perception of success. The results show that the realistic game design and the contextualization of the game do have a notable influence. They are both examples of best practices in game design; second, to evaluate the learning effectiveness of the game. The results suggest a high correlation between playing the game and succeeding in the course. Moreover, chronological analysis of the performance reveals that the intention to play the game could be a simple dropout predictor. Thus, introducing the game in the educational curricula improves student engagement and consolidates their knowledge on cybersecurity.