Logic Evaluation Through Game-Based Assessment

Abstract

Digital game–based evaluations may be useful to solve several problems of traditional paper-based assessments, such as students’ test anxiety and evaluation rigidity. On the other hand, video games allow to record interaction data of the thinking process that can be used later in formative assessments. A game application was developed as a tool for evaluating the logic abilities of first year university students. The game was designed as a puzzle with different difficulty levels. Experimental results showed that the game scores were not significantly different from the grades obtained with traditional paper-based evaluations. However, for most students, the game-based interaction was significantly different by lowering perceived frustration and increasing user engagement. The use of gamification on student assessment can lower test anxiety and reveal useful insights on student thinking processes. Moreover, automatic and real time feedback could drastically improve learning and guide students to understand complex scenarios.