Data Visualization for Tracking Knowledge Transferand Attitudinal Change in a Game-Based OnlineLearning Platform

Abstract

The use of game-based learning platforms has become a valuable asset in teaching complex topics in an engaging and interactive way. One such topic is climate change. Tracking knowledge transfer and attitudinal change in students is a key challenge in an educational context, especially in game-based learning environments. This thesis explores different data visualization techniques to enhance the educators’ abilities in assessing the progress of students across tasks like quizzes, surveys, brainstorming tasks, and serious games. The study focuses on the online learning platform Ecopolis, which teaches environmental topics through such interactive tasks. For the study, a visualization framework is developed that consists of a parallel coordinates chart, supported by tables of the different tasks for deeper analysis. Additionally, radar charts are employed for an overview of the typology tests of Ecopolis, and a combination of stacked bar charts and scales is used for the surveys conducted. The system is designed to be interactive and intuitive, enabling educators to analyze student data without expertise in data analytics. To evaluate the framework’s effectiveness, user tests with educators are conducted to assess the usability of the system through a task-based questionnaire and standardized methods like the System Usability Scale and the NASA-Task Load Index. The results indicate how usable it is for the educators and how easy it is for them to track the progress of the group, but also the development of the individual students. In addition to the user tests, experts will be interviewed to give further insights into what the strengths and limitations of the approach are, and what can be improved further in the future. This research contributes to the field of learning analytics and educational data visualization by demonstrating how interactive visualizations can facilitate knowledge tracking and attitudinal assessment in educational tasks and games.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Jeremiah Diephuis (Supervisor)