A learning module focusing on game-based assessments, including Kahoot, Blooket, Quizlet Live, Quizizz, and Gimkit.
Game-Based Assessment, Gaming, eLearning, Kahoot, Gimkit, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, Blooket
Translating the ideas and principles of this course into practice: In order to measure a student's progress in any given subject or concept, there needs to be some form of assessment. In the past, it has often been a paper and pencil assessment filled with a mixture of multiple-choice, true and false, matching, short answer, and essay questions. Due to the fact that technology continues to permeate classrooms, with many schools becoming 1 to 1 Chromebook schools, the need for alternative forms of assessment completed through the use of technology has increased. One alternative form of assessment that has grown in popularity is the use of game-based assessments.
Experience with the content area and whether this material is newly designed by you or material previously taught that is now being transformed into learning module format, with a summary of what has been done to transform it: As a previous fourth-grade teacher and current Director of Technology, I am constantly looking at opportunities for assessment that can best engage students and still obtain accurate results. From my experience, I can attest to how much students enjoy gaming. When myself or other teachers have added games to the classroom in one form or another, engagement rises. Some of the most exciting lessons that I have had (and of which other teachers have noted) are when games like Kahoot! are integrated into them. While this is not something that is entirely new, there are more and more game-based assessment tools that are becoming available.
This learning module will be a compilation of the various game-based assessment tools that are available, which will allow the learners of this module the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of as well as test these tools to find out what will work best for them and their students. By integrating game-based assessments into the classroom, students can become more engaged, and thus, teachers can gain a better picture of what they really know and where to go from there.
Scholarly references to justify the approach you are taking: As noted through a 2017 study, Game-Based Assessment: Investigating the Impact on Test Anxiety and Exam Performance, the author discovered that "the exam performance of the students was significantly better when the game method was used" (Mavridis, A., Tsiatsos, T, 2017). They went on to draw the conclusion that, "This study provides evidence that game-based assessment could be potentially beneficial for students".
The Target Learner(s): K-12 Teachers
Intended Learning Outcomes: The student (K-12 Teacher) will be able to develop an understanding of various game-based assessment tools, their uses, and create one of his or her own for use in the digital classroom environment through the use of an ASSURE lesson plan.
Intended Learning Outcome Rationale: As we are still in a pandemic and with so many schools remaining remote and/or offering hybrid courses, teachers must be presented with creative ideas at their disposal to implement in their classroom, and game-based assessments offer just that. In addition, as assessment becomes more and more the focus of educational environments, teachers must be aware of the alternative methods of assessment available, including game-based assessment.
Anticipated Duration to Complete Module: From start to finish, this module should take the student about four to five hours, including the creation of their game-based assessment and ASSURE lesson plan, depending on the intricacy of their project.
Material Requirements: The learner must have access to a computer, the Internet, as well as a search engine to add various elements to their game-based assessments. They must also have a lesson plan at the ready to use to form the assessment, which will be converted to an ASSURE lesson plan.
NOTE: This module helps to meet one of the Ohio Standards of the Teaching Profession (OSTP), Standard Seven, which states, "Teachers assume responsibility for professional growth, performance, and involvement as an individual and as a member of a learning community."
Assumptions about Prior Learning: At this stage, the assumption can be made that students (K-12 Teachers) who are working through this module have some type of experience with online and virtual assessment. In many of these cases, teachers should be familiar with various programs that offer some type of online assessment, including game-based assessments, with the majority being familiar with Kahoot!.
The Rationale for Learning Outcomes: It is imperative whether teachers are participating in distance learning or if they are back in the classroom, they should be able to explore options to engage learners in assessment, especially when they are caught up in the "student dread" that often comes with assessment. Adding to the teacher's educational technology repertoire is important, not only to spark creativity for students but to keep teaching "fresh" in order to try the latest and greatest, research-based practices.
NOTE: Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession (OSTP) Rationale- The learner of this module will take part in professional growth as they develop new ideas that they will put into action as they "gamify" their assessments. Teachers must always be ready to grow professionally, and this module offers that opportunity.
Before we get started in looking at various game-based assessment tools, please take a moment to complete this Pre-Course Survey created using Google Forms.
One of the most popular websites used for game-based assessment would be Kahoot!. Kahoot! allows the teacher to post a series of questions that can be answered as a whole group or even in teams. Each student has a mobile device, most often a Chromebook, with which they use a code that the teacher provides for that session to join the game. Students choose from a series of up to four answers and their position in the "leaderboard" is determined by both the speed of their response as well as the correct answer. Students can view their position in the game throughout its duration, as long as that feature is enabled by the teacher.
Update: Set up your Kahoot! account. What do you like about Kahoot? What don't you like about Kahoot? What feature is not included that you think would be beneficial?
Comment: Use the @ to tag a person you are responding to. Provide feedback to your peers on their Kahoot! game What do you like about it? What suggestions do you have for change and/or improvement?
While Kahoot remains a popular tool for teachers to use to "gamify" learning, it is important to consider a few things before launching a game:
1) Teachers must be careful to emphasize the content of the game as opposed to winning or losing. Because many students are naturally competitive, they may be more apt to guess wrong and/or too quickly in order to "beat" their peers, which takes away from the content.
2) Teachers must decide which features to include and/or exclude in order to maximize the opportunity for a positive outcome in the game. For example, should the teacher, with the particular group of students, enable the leaderboard, or disable the leaderboard? Should they make it more competitive or less competitive? The teacher knows the audience, so they have to modify the nuances of the game to ensure the best outcome.
Another game-based assessment application that remains popular, although not as popular as Kahoot!, is Quizizz. Quizizz is only a few years old and intends for a similar outcome to Kahoot! where the teacher posts questions (either created themselves or chosen from an already-created Quizizz, and pushes out a game code that students use to connect to the game via a device, such as a smartphone, or in most cases in K-12 settings as noted earlier, a Chromebook.
One of the primary differences between Kahoot! and Quizziz is that with Kahoot!, the questions are posted on a screen that everyone can see, with the four answer choices presented on student screens, as opposed to Quizizz where the questions and answers are on the students' screens and are often randomized so not all students are completing the same questions at the same time. The primary screen in the classroom often hosts an active "leaderboard" that students can see during the game to keep track of their position in the standings.
Update: Set up your Quizizz account. What do you like about Quizizz? What don't you like about Quizizz? What feature isn't included that you think would be beneficial?
Comment: Use the @ to tag a person you are responding to. Provide feedback to your peers on their Quizizz. What do you like about it? What suggestions do you have for change and/or improvement?
As with Kahoot!, it is imperative that teachers take the time to establish the ground rules for Quizizz ahead of time so that the game's purpose (either as a review tool or as an assessment itself) is achieved. These considerations should be similar to Kahoot! and include the following:
1) Teachers must be careful to emphasize the content of the game as opposed to winning or losing. Because many students are naturally competitive, they may be more apt to guess wrong and/or too quickly in order to "beat" their peers, which takes away from the content.
2) Teachers must decide which features to include and/or exclude in order to maximize the opportunity for a positive outcome in the game. For example, should the teacher, with the particular group of students, enable the leaderboard, or disable the leaderboard? Should they make it more competitive or less competitive? The teacher knows the audience, so they have to modify the nuances of the game to ensure the best outcome.
3) Quizizz includes "memes" throughout the duration of the game, so teachers must be careful to ensure the memes won't discourage a student if they are consistently missing questions, even if the memes are meant to be comical.
A more recent alternative to Kahoot! and Quizizz is known as Blooket. Blooket is set up in a similar way to the other two game-based assessments, with teachers choosing their own questions or choosing from a bank of already-designed assessments. However, Blooket is unique in the fact that it offers a variety of options that turn each assessment into a unique "game mode" in and of itself. For example, they offer:
-Gold Quest
-Tower Defense
-Cafe
-Factory Racing
-Battle Royale
and more...
These games offer variations that allow the teacher to try new things each time so students do not become bored doing the same thing repeatedly. Like the other game-based tools, results are shown at the very end of the game through a variation of a leaderboard.
Update: Set up your Blooket account. What do you like about Blooket? What don't you like about Blooket? What feature isn't included that you think would be beneficial?
Comment: Use the @ to tag a person you are responding to. Provide feedback to your peers on their Blooket. What do you like about it? What suggestions do you have for change and/or improvement?
With the same regard for Kahoot! and Quizizz, Blooket requires that teachers take the time to establish the ground rules for Blooket ahead of time so that the game's purpose (either as a review tool or as an assessment itself) is achieved. Please consider the following elements:
1) Teachers must be careful to emphasize the content of the game as opposed to winning or losing. Because many students are naturally competitive, they may be more apt to guess wrong and/or too quickly in order to "beat" their peers, which takes away from the content. In some ways with Blooket, students are competing with themselves, so it may allow for the pressure to be taken off of competing against the rest of the class.
2) Teachers must decide which features to include and/or exclude in order to maximize the opportunity for a positive outcome in the game. Because Blooket offers a variety of gaming modes, teachers should first test each mode out themselves to be able to determine which game mode would be most appropriate for the group they will use the Blooket with. Some game modes may be better for some classes than others. For example, some games, such as "Cafe" may be more challenging than "Gold Quest".
For years, Quizlet has been a popular tool for teachers to use to help students review given topics. For example, teachers might have created flashcards for students to use in the application to help them practice in preparation for a coming assessment. Quizlet Live adds a game aspect to this practice, as with the previous tools mentioned. Quizlet Live focuses on creating teams instead of individuals competing against each other, which most often is completed with two teams tot.
While each team is given the same set of questions, each teammate is provided with separate answers in various order, and only one team member has the correct answer. This encourages students to communicate with each other to choose the correct answer in order to proceed in the game. Like with Quizizz, the leaderboard is shown on the primary screen, the teacher's screen, to the whole group.
Update: Set up your Quizlet Live account. What do you like about Quizlet Live? What don't you like about Quizlet Live? What feature isn't included that you think would be beneficial?
Comment: Use the @ to tag a person you are responding to. Provide feedback to your peers on their Quizlet Live. What do you like about it? What suggestions do you have for change and/or improvement?
Once again, it is imperative that teachers take the time to establish the ground rules for Quizlet Live ahead of time so that the game's purpose (either as a review tool or as an assessment itself) is achieved. Please be mindful of the considerations laid out below:
1) Teachers must be careful to emphasize the content of the game as opposed to winning or losing. Because many students are naturally competitive, they may be more apt to guess wrong and/or too quickly in order to "beat" their peers, which takes away from the content.
2) Teachers must decide which features to include and/or exclude in order to maximize the opportunity for a positive outcome in the game.
3) Because Quizlet Live places an emphasis on teams, it is important that the teacher chooses team members appropriately to ensure the best sense of communication and collaboration, both of which should be emphasized throughout the game.
Note: This platform provides one of the best opportunities to work in a team-based environment. This is a great chance for teachers to explain the importance of working as a team and demonstrate it prior to using the platform. That way, Quizlet Live can act as a vessel to further their abilities to collaborate with each other.
One final option, amongst others not mentioned in this learning module, for game-based assessment is known as Gimkit. With Gimkit, teachers create question sets that are known in the game as "kits". The kits are then used in three different gaming options:
1) Time
2) Race
3) All-In
Like the other gaming options, the students are provided a game code by the teacher which they enter into the device of their choice. While students wait for their peers to enter the game, they are able to "doodle" pictures, which can keep students entertained while they wait.
Like Quizizz, Blooket, and Quizlet Live, the students see questions on their screen along with answers, with the primary screen, the teacher's screen, showing the leaderboard. The primary objective in each game is for students to earn as much "money" as they can.
During the game, students can use this "money" to enact upgrades. These include the ability to change how much "money" they can earn per question, streak bonuses, multipliers, and insurance.
Update: Set up your Gimkit account. What do you like about Gimkit? What don't you like about Gimkit? What feature isn't included that you think would be beneficial?
Comment: Use the @ to tag a person you are responding to. Provide feedback to your peers on their Gimkit. What do you like about it? What suggestions do you have for change and/or improvement?
As was the case with each of the games mentioned prior to Gimkit, it is imperative that teachers take the time to establish the ground rules for Gimkit ahead of time so that the game's purpose (either as a review tool or as an assessment itself) is achieved. These considerations should be similar to the others and include the following:
1) Teachers must be careful to emphasize the content of the game as opposed to winning or losing. Because many students are naturally competitive, they may be more apt to guess wrong and/or too quickly in order to "beat" their peers, which takes away from the content.
2) Teachers must decide which features to include and/or exclude in order to maximize the opportunity for a positive outcome in the game. For example, should the teacher, with the particular group of students, enable the leaderboard, or disable the leaderboard? Should they make it more competitive or less competitive? The teacher knows the audience, so they have to modify the nuances of the game to ensure the best outcome.
3) Because this game-based assessment is more intricate than others, it is suggested that teachers take the time to walk through the features of the game and take part in a few test runs in order to maximize the learning outcome and thus assessment results.
The importance and continued widespread use of game-based assessment continue to grow and become utilized in a variety of settings, and in many daily lesson plans. As discussed in the study The Potentials of Game-Based Environments for Integrated, Immersive Learning Data, "In the last two decades, game-based learning environments have evolved into powerful learning tools. With the growth and evolution in complexity of these innovations, complementary work in game-based assessment design has also begun to take shape and has generated considerable interest among a variety of education stakeholders. This is in part due to their ability to offer real-time, adaptive, and integrated formative feedback (Groff, 2008). This, of course, is one of the primary reasons behind using game-based assessments in the classroom, integrating them with an already utilized lesson and unit plan.
For the cumulative project, create a lesson that includes an introduction, often described as a "hook", and original academic content. The lesson should conclude with one of the game-based assessment platforms that reviews the content that was presented in the lesson plan. For this lesson, use the ASSURE template that is included below:
Please utilize the ASSURE rubric, shown below, to determine whether or not you have met the objectives. The instructor will use this rubric to evaluate your lesson plan.
Update: Which game-based assessment has been your favorite? Which tool would you be most likely to use consistently in the classroom? Why?
Comment: Use the @ to tag a person you are responding to. Provide feedback to your peers on their chosen ASSURE Lesson Plan. What do you like about it? What suggestions do you have for change and/or improvement?
It is important to help clarify the ASSURE template to students in case they have questions about its content, although much of it should be self-explanatory through the use of the template as well as the rubric.
As noted in the study, Examining the Use of the ASSURE Model by K–12 Teachers, in the year 1999, the ASSURE model was introduced to guide teachers in how to plan and deliver lessons that effectively integrate technology into their classroom teaching. The ASSURE model is a straightforward, practical approach that has made it one of the most widely taught instructional models in the education arena (Kim & Downey, 2016). Their study, conducted over a two-year period, found numerous benefits in utilizing the ASSURE template to promote student learning and meet learning objectives.
Be sure to use the rubric below in order to score the student's lesson plan, with emphasis placed on the game-based assessment activity.
Eli, T. (2018, July 27). Assure Model. Teacher Eli. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://teachereli442551807.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/assure-model-major-assignment-1-mapeh-2/
Gimkit. (2020, January 28). Gimkit: What is it? Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSjzjHAW1N4
Groff, J. (2018). The potentials of game-based environments for integrated, immersive learning data. Eur J Educ. 2018; 53: 188– 201. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12270
Kahoot. (2018, September 27). What is Kahoot!? YouTube. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XzfWHdDS9Q&feature=emb_logo
Kim & Downey (2016). Examining the Use of the ASSURE Model by K–12 Teachers, Computers in the Schools, 33:3, 153-168, DOI: 10.1080/07380569.2016.1203208
Landers, R. (2020, May 11). Gamified and Game-based Assessment: An Interdisciplinary Frontier for both Games and Assessment. Metro. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://metroapppsych.com/event-3812033
Mavridis, A., and Tsiatsos, T. (2017) Game-based assessment: investigating the impact on test anxiety and exam performance. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 33: 137– 150. doi: 10.1111/jcal.12170.
ODE. (2005). Teaching Profession Standards - Ohio Department of Education. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Equity/Ohio-s-Educator-Standards/TeachingProfessionStandards.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US
Quizizz. (2016, December 6). The endless possibilities of Quizizz. YouTube. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmKgZgspadk&feature=emb_imp_woyt
Quizlet. (2022, February 12). Introducing Quizlet Live. Vimeo. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://vimeo.com/161809207?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=9041045
Richard Colosi Media. (2020, November 25). Introducing blooket - a new game based Learning Platform. YouTube. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFe9Rch0Q8w