Advances in education: Using a game-based learning platform in the online learning environment

Abstract

Technology, in recent decades, has advanced at an exponential rate and, for experienced educators, the arrival of technology such as mobile phones into the classroom did not occur without problems. Where students persist in bringing them out in the class, educators often remind them that the phone will not help them when they sit their exams. With the emerging research into the use of game-based learning platforms such as Kahoot!, which examines the benefits and drawbacks of using such applications, it is difficult to ignore this type of technology. There are many reasons why using game-based learning technology is becoming more popular, but the main one is that students nowadays have been introduced to technology, such as online games, from a young age and have constant access to a personal mobile phone. In 2020 technology was embraced for this study and was introduced to in-person classes as a way of engaging students; when delivery was moved online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kahoot! continued to be used in the virtual classroom. The study evaluates whether students benefit from using Kahoot! as an aid to their understanding of the subject and if they view it as a game or as a learning tool. The paper explores the views of three distinct groups of students’ use of Kahoot! in their learning environment: when used in an online-only teaching environment, in a blended teaching environment consisting of online and in-person delivery and for an in-person-only teaching environment.