The Use of Learning Analytics Interactive Dashboards in Serious Games: A Review of the Literature

The learning analytics in serious games, corresponds to a subject in increasing demand in the educational field. In this context, there is a need to study how data visualizations found in the literature are adopted in learning analytics in serious games. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on how the evolution of studies associated with the use of learning analytics interactive dashboards in serious games is processed, seeking to investigate the characteristics of using dashboards for viewing educational data. A bibliometric analysis was carried out in which 75 relevant studies were selected from the Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEExplore databases. From the data analysis, it was observed that in the current literature there is a reduced number of studies containing the main actors in the learning process, as follows: teachers/instructors, students/participants, game developers/designers, and managers/researchers. In the vast majority of investigated studies, data visualization algorithms are used, where the main focus takes into account only actors, such as teachers/instructors and students/participants

A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Learning Analytics in Educational Games

Learning analytics (LA) in educational games is considered an emerging practice due to its potential of enhancing the learning process. Growing research on formative assessment has shed light on the ways in which students' meaningful and in-situ learning experiences can be supported through educational games. To understand learners' playful experiences during gameplay, researchers have applied LA, which focuses on understanding students' in-game behaviour trajectories and personal learning needs during play. However, there is a lack of studies exploring how further research on LA in educational games can be conducted. Only a few analyses have discussed how LA has been designed, integrated, and implemented in educational games. Accordingly, this systematic literature review examined how LA in educational games has evolved. The study findings suggest that: (1) there is an increasing need to consider factors such as student modelling, iterative game design and personalisation when designing and implementing LA through educational games; and (2) the use of LA creates several challenges from technical, data management and ethical perspectives. In addition to outlining these findings, this article offers important notes for practitioners, and discusses the implications of the study’s results

Educational Theories and Learning Analytics : From Data to Knowledge

Under embargo until 17.01.21.acceptedVersio

Including neurodiversity in computational thinking

IntroductionThe foundational practices of Computational Thinking (CT) present an interesting overlap with neurodiversity, specifically with differences in executive function (EF). An analysis of CT teaching and learning materials designed for differentiation and support of EF show promise to reveal problem-solving strengths of neurodivergent learners.MethodsTo examine this potential, studies were conducted using a computer-supported, inclusive, and highly interactive learning program named INFACT that was designed with the hypothesis that all students, including neurodivergent learners, will excel in problem solving when it is structured through a variety of CT activities (including games, puzzles, robotics, coding, and physical activities) and supported with EF scaffolds. The INFACT materials were used in 12 treatment classrooms in grades 3–5 for at least 10  h of implementation. Pre-post assessments of CT were administered to treatment classes as well as 12 comparison classes that used 10  h of other CT teaching and learning materials. EF screeners were also used with all classes to disaggregate student results by quartile of EF.FindingsStudents using INFACT materials showed a significant improvement in CT learning as compared to comparison classes. Students with EF scores in the lower third of the sample showed the greatest improvement.DiscussionThis study shows promising evidence that differentiated activities with EF scaffolds situated across several contexts (e.g., games, puzzles, physical activities, robotics, coding) promote effective CT learning in grades 3–5

Improving serious games evaluation by applying learning analytics and data mining techniques

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Informática, Departamento de Ingeniería del Software e Inteligencia Artificial, leída el 15/06/2017. Tesis formato europeo (compendio de artículos)Serious games are highly motivational resources effective to teach, raise awareness, or change the perceptions of players. To foster their application in education, teachers and institutions require clear and formal evidences to assess students' learning while they are playing the games. However, traditional assessment techniques rely on external questionnaires, typically carried out before and after playing, that fail to measure players' learning while it is happening. The multiple interactions carried out by players in the games can provide more precise information about how players play, and even be used to assess them. In this regard, game learning analytics techiques propose the collection and analysis of such interactions for multiple purposes, including assessment. The potentially large game learning analytics data collected can be further analyzed with data mining techniques to discover unexpected patterns and to provide measures to evaluate the effect of fames on their players and assess their learning...Los juegos serios son recursos altamente motivadores y efectivos para enseñar, concienciar, o cambiar las percepciones de sus jugadores. Para fomentar su aplicación en educación, los profesores y las instituciones necesitan pruebas claras y automáticas con las que evaluar el aprendizaje de sus estudiantes mientras utilizan los juegos. Tradicionalmente, la evaluación con juegos serios se basa en cuestionarios externos, realizados normalmente antes y después de jugar, que no miden el aprendizaje de los jugadores durante el proceso en sí. Las múltiples interacciones que realizan los jugadores al jugar pueden proporcionar una información más precisa sobre cómo juegan los jugadores e, incluso, utilizarse para evaluar su aprendizaje. En este sentido, las analíticas de aprendizaje para juegos proponen técnicas para la recogida y el análisis de dichas interacciones con múltiples fines, incluida la evaluación de los jugadores. Los datos (potencialmente numerosos) de las analíticas de aprendizaje para juegos pueden analizarse en mayor detalle con técnicas d minería de datos que permiten descubrir patrones ocultos a simple vista y proporcionar mejores medidas para estudiar el efecto de los juegos en los estudiantes y evaluar su aprendizaje...Fac. de InformáticaTRUEunpu

EVA London 2022: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts

The Electronic Visualisation and the Arts London 2022 Conference (EVA London 2022) is co-sponsored by the Computer Arts Society (CAS) and BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, of which the CAS is a Specialist Group. Of course, this has been a difficult time for all conferences, with the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time since 2019, the EVA London 2022 Conference is a physical conference. It is also an online conference, as it was in the previous two years. We continue with publishing the proceedings, both online, with open access via ScienceOpen, and also in our traditional printed form, for the second year in full colour. Over recent decades, the EVA London Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts has established itself as one of the United Kingdom’s most innovative and interdisciplinary conferences. It brings together a wide range of research domains to celebrate a diverse set of interests, with a specialised focus on visualisation. The long and short papers in this volume cover varied topics concerning the arts, visualisations, and IT, including 3D graphics, animation, artificial intelligence, creativity, culture, design, digital art, ethics, heritage, literature, museums, music, philosophy, politics, publishing, social media, and virtual reality, as well as other related interdisciplinary areas. The EVA London 2022 proceedings presents a wide spectrum of papers, demonstrations, Research Workshop contributions, other workshops, and for the seventh year, the EVA London Symposium, in the form of an opening morning session, with three invited contributors. The conference includes a number of other associated evening events including ones organised by the Computer Arts Society, Art in Flux, and EVA International. As in previous years, there are Research Workshop contributions in this volume, aimed at encouraging participation by postgraduate students and early-career artists, accepted either through the peer-review process or directly by the Research Workshop chair. The Research Workshop contributors are offered bursaries to aid participation. In particular, EVA London liaises with Art in Flux, a London-based group of digital artists. The EVA London 2022 proceedings includes long papers and short “poster” papers from international researchers inside and outside academia, from graduate artists, PhD students, industry professionals, established scholars, and senior researchers, who value EVA London for its interdisciplinary community. The conference also features keynote talks. A special feature this year is support for Ukrainian culture after its invasion earlier in the year. This publication has resulted from a selective peer review process, fitting as many excellent submissions as possible into the proceedings. This year, submission numbers were lower than previous years, mostly likely due to the pandemic and a new requirement to submit drafts of long papers for review as well as abstracts. It is still pleasing to have so many good proposals from which to select the papers that have been included. EVA London is part of a larger network of EVA international conferences. EVA events have been held in Athens, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, California, Cambridge (both UK and USA), Canberra, Copenhagen, Dallas, Delhi, Edinburgh, Florence, Gifu (Japan), Glasgow, Harvard, Jerusalem, Kiev, Laval, London, Madrid, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Paris, Prague, St Petersburg, Thessaloniki, and Warsaw. Further venues for EVA conferences are very much encouraged by the EVA community. As noted earlier, this volume is a record of accepted submissions to EVA London 2022. Associated online presentations are in general recorded and made available online after the conference