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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious Games (SG) are increasingly used by educators to assist the teaching and learning process and offer many advantages over traditional education. They are highly engaging, motivating and they have the potential to adapt to each student quickly becoming an ideal supplementary tool for education. However, if the majority of teachers agree that using SGs increases the motivation, learning and retention of their students, very few of them are ready to trust their assessment to verify that the learning goals have been met. They would rather adopt a more conventional method such as a paperbased test. We believe two main reasons explain this attitude: a lack of ownership over the games used and the rigidness of the games, making them unmodifiable by the teacher. To overcome these issues, we have developed an assessment engine to be used by both SG developers and educators. The engine's design results in a separation of a game and its assessment, and the resulting modularity allows the teachers to modify the assessment of a game even after distribution. This paper focuses on the teacher interface of the assessment engine. After reviewing the literature associated with ingame assessment and learning analytics, the paper will provide a summary of the engine and its functionalities, present the Learning Analytics (LA) dashboard. We will then describe the visual language that allows teachers to edit a game's assessment system based on the LA reports. Thereafter, the authorisation and versioning mechanics of the engine will be detailed, showing how the system regulates the access to the games and stressing the fact that every teacher will have, after modification, a unique game customised to their students' needs. Finally, we will provide conclusions and state the remaining work to be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]