Specification and Design of a Generalized Assessment Engine for GBL Applications

The interest towards the introduction of Games-Based Learning (GBL) in education is increasing. Using computer games to assist the learning process offers a wide range of possibilities inconceivable in a traditional classroom. Assessment of the learner during game-play represents a key challenge for GBL. This task is time consuming and requires both technical and educational knowledge. However, careful consideration of the integration of assessment in GBL is crucial as assessment has a very important role in teaching and learning; it is essential for teachers to assess how much their students have achieved the learning goals of a lesson and learners rely on assessment to receive feedback on their work. This paper discusses the specification of a generalized assessment engine that could be integrated into any GBL application. This paper first reviews the literature on traditional assessment and approaches to assessment in GBL. Next, the paper analyses the characteristics of a range of existing GBL applications. Using these characteristics, the literature on assessment and the outline GBL assessment model proposed by Hainey et al. (2012), a refined assessment model is presented. Finally, based on the refined assessment model this paper proposes a specification for a generalised assessment engine, provides an outline design and discusses the implementation of this design.