Gamified Evaluation in STEAM for Higher Education: A Case Study

Abstract

The process of converting non-game educational content and processes into game-like educational content and processes is called gamification. This article describes a gamified evaluation software for university students in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) courses, based on competence profiles of students and problems. The traditional learning management systems and learning tools cannot handle gamification to its full potential because of the unique requirements of gamified environments. We designed a novel gamification evaluation and assessment methodology implemented in a STEAM course through specially designed software. The results from end-user tests show a positive expectation of students’ performance and motivation. The preliminary results of over 100 students in the Fundamentals of Computer Graphics course are presented and the results of quantitative analysis are discussed. In addition we present an analysis of students’ surveys, where students expressed in free text form observations about the software.

Keywords

• gamification in education
• STEAM education
• educational software
• student evaluation