Adaptive Educational Games: Providing Non-invasive Personalised Learning Experiences Neil Peirce, Owen Conlan, Vincent Wade Trinity College, Dublin {peircen, Owen.Conlan, Vincent.Wade}@cs.tcd.ie Abstract Educational games have the potential to provide intrinsically motivating learning experiences that immerse and engage the learner. However, the much heralded benefits of educational games seldom consider the one-size-fits-all approach to education they typically embody. The benefit provided by adaptive educational games is that of a motivating environment reinforced with a personalised learning experience. However, adapting a game to enhance its educational benefit endangers its intrinsic motivation and flow. This paper proposes a novel approach for non-invasively adapting a game to enable a personalised learning experience. This is achieved using an innovative, generic and reusable architecture, without mitigating the motivational features of gaming. An implementation of this approach in the form of the ALIGN (Adaptive Learning In Games through Non- invasion) system is detailed and the results of an authentic evaluation are discussed. 1. Introduction Educational games can be seen as a progression in technology enhanced learning that provides direct support for a learner’s motivation [1]. Although games can provide an intrinsically motivating experience, the complexities of educational game design is considerable [2]. With the full potential of educational games yet to be realized [3] one must consider the existing approaches to technology enhanced learning that have proven fruitful. For instance, adaptation has long proven beneficial in eLearning as is evident in Adaptive Hypermedia [4, 5]. Combining adaptation and educational games can uniquely present a personalised supportive motivational experience. In realising this motivation through appropriate challenge, curiosity, fantasy, and control [6] there remains great potential to address the under-motivated learner. The continuing progression in educational gaming has seen a move away from the crude separation – or Shavian reversals [7] - of gaming and learning scenarios present in first generation educational games towards a more integrated gaming and learning experience. (e.g. Darfur is Dying, Peacemaker, Brain Training). One notable characteristic of these contemporary games is the emphasis placed on maintaining an enjoyable gaming experience, which is often prioritised over the regularity and frequency of learning content. Whereas this may initially seem a misguided approach in consideration that a positive learning outcome is the ultimate goal, one must consider that the effect of doing the opposite, i.e. prioritising learning content over gaming, is considerably worse. In a scenario where the presentation of the learning content is prioritised over the gaming experience, the possibility of the gaming experience being negatively impacted increases significantly. Without an immersive gaming experience the benefits of using games as a motivational vehicle for learning becomes compromised. It has been identified by a number of authors [3, 8] that an educational game must be a game first and an educational tool second. Without this prioritisation the potential benefits of gaming are mitigated. Although a learning experience that is intrinsically motivating is advantageous, it is but one of many contributing factors that can lead to effective learning outcomes. The field of adaptive hypermedia in particular has long focused on another factor, the benefits provided by the adaptability and personalisation of the learning experience. This paper addresses the problem of non-invasively supporting a learner within an adaptive educational game. Through an innovative approach to personalising learning challenge, and meta-cognitive support, it is shown how an immersive 3D adventure game can be personalised in a manner that is not invasive to the player’s gaming experience. Explicitly, the non-invasive adaptations do not compromise the game narrative and character consistency; they are non-invasive to the gameplay experience. This approach promotes augmentation over intervention in Second IEEE International Conference on Digital Games and Intelligent Toys Based Education 978-0-7695-3409-1/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE DOI 10.1109/DIGITEL.2008.30 15 Second IEEE International Conference on Digital Games and Intelligent Toys Based Education 978-0-7695-3409-1/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE DOI 10.1109/DIGITEL.2008.30 28 Second IEEE International Conference on Digital Games and Intelligent Toys Based Education 978-0-7695-3409-1/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE DOI 10.1109/DIGITEL.2008.30 28 Second IEEE International Conference on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning 978-0-7695-3409-1/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE DOI 10.1109/DIGITEL.2008.30 28 Second IEEE International Conference on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning 978-0-7695-3409-1/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE DOI 10.1109/DIGITEL.2008.30 28 Authorized licensed use limited to: TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY DUBLIN. Downloaded on March 25,2010 at 11:22:27 EDT from IEEE Xplore. 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