What's The Research On...?

Assessing Learning in the 21st Century
In computer games, students can learn by solving problems that are realistic, complex, and meaningful. So games have great potential to teach the kind of thinking that young people need in the digital age, says UW-Madison education professor David Williamson Shaffer. But after years of designing and testing digital learning environments emphasizing learning in action, Shaffer has turned to the problem of assessment. Games, simulations, and other digital tools have the power to revolutionize learning, letting students work in challenging, real-world situations. But standardized tests focus on basic facts and skills, which are only part of what it takes to solve real-world problems. So Shaffer and his research team at UW-Madison have been asking: How can we assess the digital learning that happens in educational games?