A Usability Study on Shape Shape Hooray: an Adaptive Educational Game Associating 3D Geometric Shapes to Daily Objects

• Main Authors: Buenviaje, Winna Mia Victoria D, Dela Cruz, Ma. Anniela B, Fadriquela, Ingrid Marie Therese P
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2019
• Subjects: adaptive learning; educational game; stealth assessment; situated learning theory; Computer Sciences; Education; Game Design
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/quality-education/5; https://archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=quality-education
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Situated learning theory argues that learning is embedded within an activity, context, and culture. It posits that students are more likely to learn if they have an exposure to the authentic context of the learning environment. Based loosely on this theory, Shape Shape Hooray is an adaptive educational game that aims to teach basic 3D geometric shapes by allowing basic education students associate 3D shapes to daily objects. As an adaptive game, this paper discusses the paths developed for different kinds of players (no prior/low prior, average, and high prior knowledge). A usability test was conducted to which a generally positive score was acquired. Various kinds of metrics (task success and task indicators) and the Systems Usability Scale (SUS) were also tested to find out the game’s impact on user experience and to evaluate possible design directions and improvements for Shape Shape Hooray. We found that respondents were highly impressed with the game’s usability, scoring 81.5 on the SUS. Future work will include educators’ testing on the game’s usability, testing of learning to students, and consultations with programmers for expert validation.