Transforming learning and assessment through didactic games in virtual calculus classroom

Project leader(s):  Ivan Sudakow Andrey Umerski

• Theme:  Technologies for STEM learning
• Project faculties:  STEM
• Status:  Archived
• Date:  May 2023 to July 2025

This eSTEeM project explored the effectiveness and reception of didactic games as a teaching and learning tool in an online calculus classroom. The motivation stemmed from growing interest in gamification across higher education, combined with the unique challenges faced by distance learners in engaging deeply with abstract mathematical content. The project set out to design, deliver, and evaluate a set of digital calculus games that could enhance students’ conceptual understanding, increase intrinsic motivation, and support assessment for learning within STEM modules at The Open University.

The project created three bespoke online games – Maths-jong, Calculus Wizard, and Time Traveler – each targeting specific aspects of calculus learning. These games were integrated into a dedicated project website and made available across several modules (MST125 – Essential mathematics 2, MST224 – Mathematical methods, T272 – Core engineering B). To assess student perceptions, a multi-phase online survey was conducted across three academic periods: Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025, yielding 91 complete responses. 

Findings revealed that students appreciated the interactive and engaging nature of the games, with Maths-jong consistently emerging as the most popular. Students highlighted the benefits of repetitive pattern recognition, visual layout, and gamified reinforcement of calculus rules. Conversely, the primary sources of dissatisfaction were the rigid timed elements and unclear instructions, particularly in Time Traveler. Despite these issues, over 50% of respondents supported the permanent integration of games into course content, and more than one-third indicated they would recommend the games to peers.

This project demonstrates that online games – when designed with clarity, appropriate difficulty, and accessibility in mind – can be a valuable asset in the digital learning ecosystem. The results provide a strong foundation for future development and integration of gamified tools in mathematics education. Recommendations include: improving user interface accessibility, offering adjustable pacing and feedback mechanisms, and extending the game library to encompass broader calculus topics. These outcomes contribute directly to the University’s strategic objectives of enhancing student engagement, promoting innovative assessment strategies, and embedding technology-enabled learning across disciplines.

The project delivered a freely accessible suite of three online calculus games hosted on the Unity WebGL platform, offering an open resource for students and educators exploring game-based learning in distance education. A scholarly article based on the project’s findings is in preparation for submission to a high-profile peer-reviewed journal, further contributing to research on gamification in STEM teaching. Additionally, international dissemination through the 2024 Shanghai Open University Visiting Scholar Program led to new global collaborations, including a game co-development partnership with Uttarakhand Open University, India.

The project team with the collaboration of module chairs and Associate Lecturers (ALs) will explore ways to encourage students to take part in playing and providing feedback and will find the most targeted groups. The pool of games will include the content developed by the project lead in the past, the archive of Maths and Stats school games that will be digitized, and the games obtained as a result of scholarship exchange. 

Based on the results of the research we will give recommendations to academic staff about online games perception in a distance learning environment and the further needs in gamification of OU maths modules. We will also make a comprehensive analysis (manuscript) of the approaches to gamification in traditional and virtual classrooms.

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