Serious game for higher Mathematics education: evaluation of the learning tool

The use of serious games in education is becoming more widespread, offering new ways to engage students and enhance their learning experience. However, it remains crucial to evaluate their effectiveness using reliable tools. The University of Turin has developed a serious game called “The murderer at the High-Tech Institute” for Mathematics that focuses on the functions of a single real variable. The game aims to facilitate the learning of the subject for university students in non-mathematical degree programmes. To qualitatively evaluate the tool, the research group developed a final questionnaire for students to complete after the game, based on validated questionnaires from the literature, including the Technology Acceptance Model and the System Usability Scale. The purpose of the questionnaire is to investigate the impact of digital game-based learning in Mathematics by measuring key aspects such as usability, effectiveness in learning Mathematics, game experience and attractiveness. A total of 156 university students answered the questionnaire after completing the serious game. This paper examines the stages of questionnaire development, from initial design to reliability study and exploratory factor analysis. The reliability of the questionnaire is discussed. The factor analysis reveals four key dimensions. Additionally, the trends in students' responses from the study are discussed, and potential improvements for future experimentation with the game are highlighted.