To make tests less intimidating and more engaging, restyle them as game shows.

In this example, designed for a mobile device, we turned a fill-in-the-blanks test into a game loosely based on the TV game show Jeopardy©.

Here’s how it works: Learners are given a certain amount of time to reach a specific total score by correctly answering questions about Visual Basic. To reach their goals, learners can very quickly answer a lot of low-point questions or take a bit more time to answer fewer high-point questions. Each correct answer adds to the total score and each incorrect answer subtracts from the total score. Note: This example is designed for the iPhone and looks best in Safari. However, it should run just fine in IE and Firefox.

Games like this are good for testing factual knowledge, provided answers are clearly right or wrong. Such games can seduce voluntary learners into taking tests. They provide incentive to study and learn. A game might be a good sensitizing activity or pre-test at the beginning of a module. The desire to win the game provides incentive to learn the needed facts.

Here is a simpler quiz-show style game patterned after the popular TV game show “So You Want to be a Millionaire©.” Note: This example requires the Flash player.

About the examples

The first example was built using Adobe Dreamweaver and jQuery. The second example was built in PowerPoint and saved for Web delivery using iSpring Presenter.