Evaluation activities in Sweden
Exploiting existing ties with a former student of the University of Thessaly, who is currently carrying out postgraduate studies in Sweden, siLang was also evaluated in Sweden with higher education students. Evaluation activities in Sweden engaged a group of 18 individuals aged 23-45 years. 8 of the users were Norwegians and 10 were Swedish. The group consisted of engineers and English teachers, both of whom voluntarily participated as the application attracted their interest. The group was unanimously positively disposed towards the game and its objective, namely the development of language and communication skills in a lingua franca for communication with native as well as non-native speakers.
The users felt that the game fulfills its objective. The diverse pronunciations were considered a factor that adds variety to the game. The group was also very positive on the quality of the game implementation. The story line, which focuses on helping professionals become employed was highly relevant; the users appreciated the practice of going through the job hiring process in a foreign language as this has direct applications to real-life and an economy in which professional mobility is desirable.
The users recognised the fact that siLang is not a typical tool for language learning. The game has an innovative rationale that draws upon the diverging use of English. According to the participant in the study, the challenges in the game are directly linked to the diverging use of English. The users also felt that that game makes you reflect upon several communication aspects when using English.
…What I see here is more than a language learning game; I see that thinking is required before taking an action or replying to a question…
….It’s fun and engaging; it personalizes the communication making you think in order to give a good impression to the interlocutor by selecting the appropriate language for each occasion. It is not just an exercise, but the language itself serves as a tool in order to achieve something…
According to the participants in the study, the game engages users in an educational process in a playful way. The game elements and the educational goals co-exist and boost the interest in the game scenario. In terms of usability, it seems that the interface is considered as easy to use. The mechanisms employed for interactions were also easy to understand and use. The participants in the study commented also positive on the use of prefixed templates which can be altered by the users for written communication. Based on their statements, a text box for entering free text may have been discouraged the users and dis-attracted their interest in the game scenario.
The overall impression of the game was positive. Some suggestions for improvement included to add extra variety on job profiles in order to make the game relevant in other business sectors, offering all dialogues to users at the end each chapter for supporting class and peer collaboration, and increase the number of alternatives available to users.
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