Designing Educational Games in Higher Education: A Convergent Mixed-methods Pilot Evaluation

This pilot evaluation examines an interdisciplinary higher-education course on educational game design that brought together pre-service teachers and future game developers. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, the study combined pre- and post-course questionnaires, 197 reflective diary entries from 61 students, and focus groups. Its stated aim is to explore how such a course shapes participants' perceptions of game-based learning, their motivation, and their readiness to implement educational games, with the course treated as a first implementation cycle rather than a validated model.

The most notable quantitative shift occurred among pre-service teachers, whose perceptions of game-based learning rose from a pre-course mean of 3.92 to 4.52 and whose motivation rose from 3.77 to 4.18. Their readiness to implement game-based learning also increased significantly (M = 3.30 to 4.02, p = .010, d = 0.79). Future game developers showed no comparable gains; their perceptions and motivation were broadly stable or slightly lower, and their modest readiness increase was not statistically significant. Their reflections instead pointed to a growing awareness of design complexity rather than heightened conviction. Motivation changes were non-significant in both cohorts, though qualitative accounts linked motivation to hands-on work and to frustration arising from time pressure and unclear expectations.

Both cohorts rated the syllabus moderately positively (teachers M = 3.37, developers M = 3.18). The authors emphasize significant methodological limitations, including small and unmatched samples, non-equivalent instruments, and variable diary participation, so all findings are exploratory and cannot establish causal effects. The study's conclusions point toward the need for stronger scaffolding and clearer expectations in future course iterations.