Research Reveals Factors That Help Students Achieve Learning Gains with Education Apps; Findings Outlined in New Research Brief from SmartEdTech

3-23-2018 | By, BizJounals

Document examines effective game design principles to help educators choose serious educational games and mobile learning content that improve student learning outcomes.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) : Schools are spending billions of dollars on Chromebooks, tablets, and other digital devices to support the delivery of personalized learning opportunities for students based on assessment data and analytics, but are they achieving a learning return on this investment? While mobile learning content offers a practical, affordable solution to meet students’ individual learning needs, many teachers are still apprehensive about the instructional value of “educational apps” as a serious learning resource. To help preK-12 educators identify games that contribute to positive learning outcomes, SmartEdTech today releases a new Research Brief, titled "Observations from Research: Questioning Best Practices in Mobile Content Design.”

The document provides in-depth analysis on what principles and features educational game designers should consider for students to experience measurable learning growth. These factors include the use of deliberate practice, intentionality, intrinsic motivation, specific instructional objectives, the proper integration of play and learning, and minimizing extraneous cognitive load, among others.

“Despite the growing use of serious educational games in preK-12 education, there are few research-driven guidelines for best practices in game and content design, particularly for mobile learning content,” said Brian Sharp, CEO of SmartEdTech. “Through this brief, we’re sharing some practical design principles to help educators choose mobile learning content that’s anchored in effective pedagogy and influenced by research-based best practices in education and technology.”

Download a copy of the Research Brief.