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Usability and Play Testing

The Often Missed Assessment

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Serious Educational Game Assessment

Abstract

There is little room in today’s educational climate for technologies that do not either accelerate or greatly increase learning (Roblyer, 2005). While 3-D environments, like their game cousins, are motivating and engaging to students (Jenkins, Squire, & Tan, 2003; Tuzun, 2004), there are other educationally sound mechanisms that fit into current time and learning constraints that also achieve the same or better learning outcomes for students. The fact that students spend a lot of time playing games does not mean that the games are based on a sound, efficient and effective instructional design. An examination of several documented games and environments used for learning indicate that many learning games do not demonstrate a sound, efficient educational or instructional design (Dondlinger, 2007).

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Warren, S., Jones, G., Lin, L. (2011). Usability and Play Testing. In: Annetta, L., Bronack, S.C. (eds) Serious Educational Game Assessment. SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-329-7_8

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