Table 1 The four pillars of learning, a new framework to enhance the learning effectiveness of serious games
Pillars of learning | Objective | Practical implications for serious games development | Practical implications for serious game implementation | Future directions of research |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Attention - Alerting network | Reaching medium level of arousal | None | None | Links between serious game design, level of arousal, learning effectiveness |
Attention - Orienting network | Selecting relevant information | Promote strategies that help to select relevant information (modelling/examples, modality/use of the audio channel for verbal explanations to guide visual search, feedback, integration of relevant information in virtual tools) | Educators should discuss with learners at the end of the serious gaming session in order to ensure that they identified the relevant information | New strategies integrated in games for guiding the player towards relevant information |
Attention - Executive network | Staying focused on the serious game | None | Because learners are not always immersed in the game although they do learn, the environment shall stay clear of distractions during the serious gaming session | Differences between immersion, engagement, and repercussions on learning effectiveness |
Active learning | Being engaged during learning | Promote interactivity rather than convey the learning content via text or audio explanation | None | Description of game features that enhance interactivity |
Feedback | Evaluating the gap between the objective and the actual performance | Promote the use of feedback which deals with the task completed, not with the self-esteem | Educators can debrief the performance of players at the end of the serious gaming session | Exploration of forms of feedback which are the most effective in serious gaming |
Consolidation | Achieving long-term memory | Promote the repetition of interactions with important learning content inside the game | Promote spaced-education with multiple training sessions and various educational methods | Description of forgetting curves after different types of serious gaming and determination on how often refreshers should be proposed |