Lost in Learning: Hypertext Navigational Efficiency Measures Are Valid for Predicting Learning in Virtual Reality Educational Games

Abstract

The lostness measure, an implicit and unobtrusive measure originally designed for assessing the usability of hypertext systems, could be useful in Virtual Reality (VR) games where players need to find information to complete a task. VR locomotion systems with node-based movement mimic actions for exploration and browsing found in hypertext systems. For that reason, hypertext usability measures, such as “lostness” can be used to identify how disoriented a player is when completing tasks in an educational game by examining steps made by the player. An evaluation of two different lostness measures, global and local lostness, based on two different types of tasks, is described in a VR educational game using 13 college students between 14 and 18 years old in a first study and extended using 12 extra participants in a second study. Multiple Linear Regression analyses showed, in both studies, that local lostness, and not global lostness, had a significant effect on a post-game knowledge test. Therefore, we argued that local lostness was able to predict how well-participants would perform on a post-game knowledge test indicating how well they learned from the game. In-game experience aspects (engagement, cognitive interest, and presence) were also evaluated and, interestingly, it was also found that participants learned less when they felt more present in the game. We believe these two measures relate to cognitive overload, which is known to have an adverse effect on learning. Further research should investigate the lostness measure for use in an online adaptive game system and design the game system in such a way that the risk of cognitive overload is minimized when learning, resulting in higher retention of information.

Editorial: Adaptivity in Serious Games Through Cognition-Based Analytics

“…In our view game analytic measures as used in the bottom-up approach are often (too) data-driven and system-driven, and not enough theory-driven. In contrast, in a top-down approach the analytics are based on cognitive task analysis that is based on analyses of the cognitive processes and cognitive problems that players encounter during progressing and navigating through a serious game (Ferguson and Van Oostendorp, 2020). We will give an illustration of both approaches.…”

Innovación y el marketing digital educativo

“…Por otro lado, este hipertexto transporta datos de los enlaces, de esta manera la estructura lineal de la escritura tradicional convive con la nueva estructura que es diferente a la que debe dejar un espacio de preferencia y conformidad según el público y la audiencia (Ferguson & van Oostendorp, 2020). Cristian Andrés Erazo-Álvarez; Juan Carlos Erazo-Álvarez; Edwin Joselito Vásquez-Erazo 934 instituciones de educación superior obligatoriamente deben implementar nuevas formas de llegar al estudiante para generar una calidad educativa, así como formular un posicionamiento competitivo para un servicio y una mezcla de marketing detallada (Parmerlee, 2017).…”