Fostering Peer Learning through a New Game-Theoretical Approach in a Blended Learning Environment

TL;DR

This paper introduces a game-theoretical mechanism based on prisoner's dilemma to improve peer learning in blended environments, demonstrating significant learning gains among university students.

Contribution

It proposes a novel instructional design using game theory to foster effective peer learning, validated through empirical testing in university courses.

Findings

Peer learning improved up to 47.2% with PD_PL

Students found PD_PL attractive and effective

Significant positive impact on personal learning outcomes

Abstract

Obtaining knowledge and skill achievement through peer learning can lead to higher academic achievement. However, peer learning implementation is not just about putting students together and hoping for the best. At its worst-designed, peer learning may result in one person doing all the effort for instance, or may fail to encourage the students to interact enough with the task and so enhance the task in hand. This study proposes a mechanism as well as an instructional design to foster well-organized peer learning based on game theory $(PD\_PL)$. The proposed mechanism uses prisoner's dilemma and maps the strategy and payoff concepts found in prisoner's dilemma onto a peer learning atmosphere. PD\_PL was implemented during several sessions of four university courses and with 142 computer engineering students. %The results of the pre-test and post-test exams of all the sessions were compared with R software through Paired Hotelling's T-Square analysis in order to investigate the impacts of $PD\_PL$ and the proposed instructional design on students' personal learning. The study results indicated that PD\_PL was beneficial and favourable to the students. Further analysis showed that the $PD\_PL$ had sometimes even enhanced learning by up to $47.2\%$. %The results of a subjective evaluation showed that the majority of respondents found $PD\_PL$ to be an attractive and efficient tool for learning enhancement. %Everybody who is interested in designing peer learning programs and tools will find this study interesting.