January 2012 Volume 15 Number 1 - Educational Technology ...

gamers were boys, and 35% were girls. What is not clear is whether and how middle school age boys or girls
experience or express presence as manifested through game play.
Design and Implementation of Modules for Assessing Science in Middle School
SAVE Science is a five-year, National Science Foundation-supported research project in which we are developing a
series of VE-based game modules to test whether a VE can be used to assess middle school students’ understanding
of scientific content and inquiry. The typical assessment of science knowledge in the United States uses objective
type test items tied to a scenario presented in written format with minimal pictures. These types of tests are expected
to assess content knowledge, but indeed also test for reading skills. Hence, they are difficult for children who cannot
read, are not reading on grade level, or have limited English proficiency as an English language learner (ELL). The
SAVE Science project is investigating whether students perform better on situated, context-based assessments as
opposed to the traditional text-based tests that test reading skills as much as science.
The SAVE Science assessments are designed to assess individual student’s understanding of local district middle
grades (11-14 year olds) curricula. Working with district administrators and teachers, we have identified and are
designing around concepts that are currently not well-assessed on state and district high stakes tests. Our design
process has two interconnected aspects: the problem scenario that tests individual concepts and the instructional
game design which gives context to the problem scenario and provides immersion and presence for the participants.
At the time of this study, we have designed two SAVE Science assessment modules for seventh graders based in a
medieval world called Scientopolis (see Figure 1). Students work individually through the modules because they are
designed as assessments, or tests, where students do not collaborate with other students to solve the problem, just as
they would in a test in school.
Figure 1. The town of Scientopolis
Figure 2. Sheep Trouble overview
In both assessment modules, students are met by a local computer-based character who presents the problem scenario
to students and creates the motivational prompt for them. In the first module, “Sheep Trouble,” students are asked to
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