Assessing the impact of Notifications and Visualizations on Gaming Behavior

Abstract

Gaming behavior in online learning is a decisive factor when assessing student performance and achievements, where learners exploit system properties to answer questions or complete tasks without engaging with the course content and acquiring knowledge. As a result, it is essential for online learning systems to provide mechanisms that monitor the behavior of students and encourage them to engage with course content. Research has shown that adaptive notifications providing students with feedback motivate learners to engage with online learning. In addition, visualizations presenting progress, time spent on tasks and activities, and engagement levels have also been shown to support student engagement. This research analyzes whether the combination of adaptive notifications and visualizations may influence gaming behavior. It found that although most students benefitted from this combination, 14.3% of learners tried to artificially enhance their engagement levels.