Transcript Do Sims Work? A summary of Vogel et al Meta-analysis on the effectiveness of simulation games in education.

Do Sims Work?
A summary of Vogel et al
Meta-analysis on the
effectiveness of simulation
games in education
2006 Meta-Analysis
• 248 studies on the use of computer
games and interactive simulations in
learning
• 32 met criteria for analysis:
– Search for Cognitive gains / Attitudinal
change as goal
– Compare to traditional teaching (TT)
methods
– Used statistics
Results
• Cognitive Gains:
– Significantly better versus traditional
teaching methods (6x)
• Gender:
– Female-only studies showed significant
gains using simulation games
– Gender comparison studies showed no
difference in effect between males and
females
Results
• Learner Control:
– “Automatic navigation” via decisiontrees may not be as effective as TT
– Learner navigated scenarios far more
effective than TT
• Type of Activity:
– Interactive Simulations (if, then
manipulations of systems) and Games
(goals, scenarios, decisions, and
feedback) appear equally effective
Results
• Age:
– All age groups benefited from
simulation games
– <18 years actually benefited less than
those >18 years!
• Realism:
– As degree of picture realism increased,
so did cognitive gains. This finding
ostensibly runs counter to the “Uncanny
Gap”
Results
• Individual vs. Group use:
– Both benefited, but individuals
benefited more
Conclusions for EP
• Mitigate Clients’ potential concerns:
– Not only is it fun, this stuff works!
– It is as effective for women as men!
– It is even more effective for adults than kids!
• Try new use scenarios:
– Individual play vs. group
• Experiment in development:
– Photo realistic images
– Find even more ways to enable learner control