A Needs Analysis for Serious Games to Enhance Statistics Education
Abstract: The educational landscape has changed drastically. People are more connected to one another than ever before, and a vast spectrum of information is accessible from anywhere in the world. Despite living in an information age, students still struggle to grasp fundamental statistical concepts. This research study investigates how technology, and serious games in particular, can be employed to facilitate statistics education. Statistics faculty members were interviewed, to cast a light on their experiences with statistics students and to evaluate their perceptions of serious games for education. From the interviews, there was an indication that faculty knew what a serious game is, but did not necessarily consider it as a supplemental tool to use in their modules. The participants did, however, show interest in the implementation of a serious game for statistics. The participants identified possible topics in introductory statistics where serious games could add considerable value.