The effect of scoring and feedback mechanisms in an online educational game

A research and development (R&D) team designed and developed the BiblioBouts online information literacy game to give undergraduate students opportunities to learn and practice information literacy skills using online library research tools and scholarly databases while they work on a research-and-writing assignment. To evaluate the alpha version of BiblioBouts, the R&D team analyzed game-play logs from two undergraduate classes and invited students who played the game in class to participate in focus group interviews. The resulting insights into the impact of scoring and game feedback on student game play were used to help instructors plan for game play in their classes and to help the R&D team improve BiblioBouts. These results also spawned game premises to guide the R&D team and other designers of educational games build better games.

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