Developing and evaluating a game-based project management learning platform

Abstract

Educators need to know how to motivate information-management (IM) students (i.e., future business practitioners) to learn and use project management, which can provide the practical skills necessary for IM professionals to analyze data and make decisions. This case designed a platform of game-based learning for IM students' studying based on course of project management. Using a sample of 54 sophomores in Taiwan, a modified TAM model, self-efficacy and flow experience in playfulness were examined using experimental design and causal analysis for learner's attitude and behavior. A knowledge test is conducted to inspect the learning performance with platform support. Test results present higher performance in posttest than in pretest. The empirical results show that self-efficacy has significant, positive effects on perceived usefulness; but not significance on perceived usefulness. Perceived ease of use is positive influence on perceived usefulness on flow experience. In addition, it was found that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, positively influence IM students' attitude to use game-based learning platform, and flow experience not significantly effect on attitude to use game-based learning platform, whereas attitude toward game-based learning platform has a significant, positive impact on behavioral intentions, and the behavioral intentions has positively significant impact on actual platform use based on course of project management. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed in this paper.