Edinburgh Napier University

  Formative assessments can play a powerful role in supporting the student learning process (Black &William, 2009; Andrade & Cizek 2010) and they can be an effective tool for supporting and evaluating the development of student skills and knowledge. However, the design of some formative assessments results in them being less effective due to a lack of student engagement with the assessment task. Students need to see a direct correlation between the formative learning activities and the expectations of the summative assessment submission to value engaging in the formative task. Gamification of learning - using game design principles to devise learning experiences - can have significant impact on learner engagement and motivation (Kim et al, 2018). The concepts and principles of gamification can be successfully applied to formative assessment to improve student engagement and deepen learning.

This paper examines the gamification of a research led formative assessment in the context of a module that prepares students for careers in, and related to, instrumental teaching. It will explore how the principals of game-based learning have been utilised to enhance the student learning experience as they prepare for summative viva exams. The paper will describe: the design process used to develop the gamified formative assessment; the formative assessment undertaken by the students; and, will share student views on the experience of taking part in this gamified assessment.

Andrade, H. & Cizek, G.J. (2010) Handbook of Formative Assessment. New York: Routledge

Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (2009) Developing the theory of formative assessment. In International Journal of Policy, Practice and Research. Springer 21:5

Kim S., Song K., Lockee B., Burton J. (2018) Theories for Gamification in Learning and Education. In: Gamification in Learning and Education. Advances in Game-Based Learning. Springer, Cham pp 39-47