GlassLab: Creating Game-Based Formative Assessments Using Learning Progressions

• In Event: Approaches to the Use of Learning Progressions Within Multidimensional Formative Assessment Activities in Science

Abstract

1. Purpose: GlassLab is a design studio with a mission to combine game design, learning design, and assessment design to create compelling learning experiences integrated with formative assessment. This talk will focus on the use and value of learning progressions (LPs) in the development process as illustrated by the creation of a game-based formative assessment in science for middle school students that addresses cross-cutting concept #4 in the Next Generation Science Standards: Systems and system models, along with co-requisite ELA standards from the Common Core State Standards.

Perspective: CCSSO has identified learning progressions as one of five essential attributes of formative assessment. They state: “Learning progressions describe how concepts and skills build in a domain, and show the trajectory of learning along which students are expected to progress.” (CCSSO, 2008, P. 4). Because of the importance of LPs in the formative assessment process, we explore their use in organizing and integrating game, learning, and assessment design goals. Making learning progressions central to the design process enables disparate constraints to all support learning.

2. Methods: The design approach combines methods from assessment, game, learning, and software design. In the middle school science game project, the competency of systems and system models has been expressed as a learning progression with five levels, based upon prior research and standards. Design is organized around the learning progression through several phases of the process. Early on, a “macroDesign matrix” includes characterizations of hypothesized student evidence different levels of the progression and enables high level constraints from game, learning, and assessment to be coordinated. Later on, “microDesign documents” express how these constraints come together around the learning progressions in each of the activities in the game.

3. Data Sources: The game makes use of three measurement paradigms: a) assessment outside the game through separate digital tools b) assessment inside the game based upon predefined milestones, and c) assessment through the game, in which game play directly provides evidence of competency. Within the game, evidence is collected through log files addressing degree of success at challenges, patterns of gathering information, and patterns of moving towards the goal along the learning progressions.

4. Results/Substantiated conclusions: We have run three data collections ranging from playtesting to address design-level issues on engagement and usability, small scale tryouts to evaluate the distributions of evidence for student performance levels, and pilot testing to explore viability of classroom use. Results support the hypothesis that game-based formative assessment can be used to collect evidence of student competency and provide feedback that teachers and students find useful. Prior to the presentation, larger studies will be carried out to address statistical measurement issues.

5. Significance: This game-based formative assessment research and development project will provides new insights into how gaming and learning progressions might be used more broadly in the development of formative assessments.

Author

• Malcolm Bauer, ETS