ERIC Number: EJ1033226
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
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ISSN: ISSN-1536-6367
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Further Thoughts on "How Task Features Impact Evidence from Assessments Embedded in Simulations and Games"
Oliveri, María Elena; Khan, Saad
Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives, v12 n1-2 p51-53 2014
María Oliveri, and Saad Khan write that the article: "How Task Features Impact Evidence from Assessments Embedded in Simulations and Games" provided helpful illustrations regarding the implementation of evidence-centered assessment design (Mislevy & Haertel, 2006; Mislevy, Steinberg, & Almond, 1999) with games and simulations. Oliveri and Khan found the use of contrasting running examples, "Newton's Playground" (Shute & Ventura, 2013) and "Mathematics Word Problem" (Hiebert & Wearne, 1993), to be very useful in illustrating several key ideas of embedding assessments in games and simulations. For instance, they found the explanation of how to use games and construct maps useful particularly toward achieving the goal of measuring noncognitive constructs such as creativity and conscientiousness. Oliveri and Khan believe that the use of games is an interesting approach toward the assessment of such constructs. Primarily, they have been measured through the use of self- and peer-ratings; these have been criticized, among other reasons, for low reliability (Kyllonen, 2012). They suggest that an alternative approach toward measuring them by collecting data and responses directly from the test taker is important as it may help counteract some of the difficulties associated with using ratings. Further elaborations in relation to how to measure these constructs in games and simulations would have been helpful. One way in which this could have been done is by presenting contrasting examples that not only focused on a mathematics word problem but also drew upon examples of measures used to assess students' noncognitive traits. In other words, although the use of a mathematics word problem provides a contrast to the assessment of physics knowledge, it does not set the context for the assessment of noncognitive constructs. Despite the challenges in game design and validation, Oliveri and Khan believe the article provides a thorough account of various aspects of task design, which are important not only in understanding "Newton's Playground," but also toward the development of other games and simulations.
Descriptors: Task Analysis, Models, Educational Assessment, Word Problems (Mathematics), Simulation, Educational Games, Competence
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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