Abstract:

Academic malpractice is a common problem among university students, even though most universities in the United Kingdom have an obligatory academic malpractice course. Some students commit academic malpractice unintentionally because they struggle to transform their theoretical knowledge into practice and identify actions that account for academic misconduct. This research investigated an academic malpractice course at a major UK university to understand why students commit academic malpractice despite taking the course. Using the ICAP framework by Chi and Wylie (2014), it became apparent that the course is a cognitively low engaging learning resource. However, research has shown that the more engaging a task, the higher the learning outcome is. One potentially more engaging learning method is learning with a visual novel game, a subcategory of interactive fiction games. Research has shown that students learning with interactive fiction and visual novel games outperform students that learn with purely text-based resources.

In this research, we developed a visual novel game for academic malpractice to offer an alternative learning method to the examined course. An initial expert review showed a promising evaluation. A test run with two MSc students indicated that the game is a valuable learning resource. The game was then evaluated on a convenience sample with a voluntary pre-test and post-test as well as an obligatory post-game survey. Twenty participants completed the survey. Seventeen participants also took part in the pre-test and post-test. 76% of the participants significantly improved in the post-test compared to the pre-test, while no one performed worse in the post-test. On average, there was an increase of about 25% of correct answers. In the post-game survey, 90% of the participants indicated that they prefer the game compared to other learning methods. Furthermore, there has been high self-reported confidence in academic malpractice knowledge and a high feeling of responsibility for the game’s outcome. The participants reported that the game is helpful, engaging, and enjoyable. Overall, the better performance in the post-test and the positive review in the survey indicate that the game provides an engaging alternative to the current text-based approach.

Keywords:

Academic malpractice, cognitive engagement, interactive fiction, visual novel game.