Student behaviors and evaluations of collaborative learning game

Abstract

This paper highlights some interesting results from a preliminary study involving the choice of technology in Australian rural secondary education. Advances in computers, wireless networks, and mobility have fostered collaborative learning environments. While a large body of research has documented successful intervention strategies and software applications for computer-based and mobile-based collaborative learning systems with respect to computer games and mobile games for educational purposes, little of the research has examined the effect of the two different technology platforms (computer verses mobile) on students’ behaviors and evaluations while using a collaborative learning system. We developed an open-ended collaborative learning game and implemented it on desktop and mobile environments. The collaborative learning game we developed for this study is a multi-player game we called CipherGame. The game is essentially a word-based guessing game. A group of students work together to solve a challenge sentence that has been encrypted with a simple mono-alphabetic substitution cipher (Singh, 2000). The game has no time limit, but we found the students typically took 45 minutes to complete the game. A preliminary study was conducted with the assistance of the ICT teachers and students from the 2009 cohort at Smithfield High School, Cairns, Far-North Queensland, Australia. The purpose of this preliminary study was to begin exploring how students use computer-based and mobile-based collaborative learning systems. We looked at the students' behaviors and evaluations of using the collaborative learning game as a technology artifact, and students' communication pattern when using the systems. We were interested in looking at the extent of help contributing and help seeking student activities during game-play, and also students’ interactions during the collaborative process. We found that perceived enjoyment was significantly lower with the desktop environment, while there were no significant differences on perceived ease of use and perceived sense of group belonging. We therefore, discuss the potential implications of this result with respect to the future of technology in Australian secondary education.