Educational Digital Games Evaluation as a Teaching Support Tool in Academic Virtuality"

In 2020 COVID-19 imposed forced academic virtuality. This phenomenon offered Education 4.0 an application opportunity for its existing technological tools and their main trends of innovation and change, increasing continuity in vital teaching-learning processes. This matter introduced the need to establish a model to evaluate the usability of supporting technological tools with active learning strategies, including children's educational digital games (EDG). The article presents a methodological model in a case study evaluating EDG's academic experiences in virtual teaching. It also justifies a pilot plan supporting Education 4.0 with gamification and how it strengthens early childhood education in public schools targeting marginal sectors in a densely populated Ecuadorian city. This context evaluates the Utility and Usability factors of a selected EDG series (MIDI-AM) as complementary tools used in the teaching-learning processes of children ages 4 to 7. A mixed qualitative-quantitative method was applied, including exhaustive literature reviews, data collection strategies, and analysis through focus groups and online surveys. The resulting evaluation identified possible improvements in gamification and the production of additional EDG. The study initiated six hypotheses and validated the proposed research model as a tool for evaluating EDG in future academic periods as reinforcement of curricular content fostering more dynamic and active learning.2020年，新冠疫情（COVID-19）迫使学术活动全面转向虚拟形态。这一背景为教育4.0（Education 4.0）现有技术工具及其核心创新变革趋势提供了应用契机，有效维系了关键教与学过程的连续性。在此背景下，亟需构建一套评估支撑技术工具可用性的模型，该工具需结合主动学习策略，其中涵盖儿童教育数字游戏（Educational Digital Games，EDG）。本文提出一套方法论模型，并通过案例研究评估了EDG在虚拟教学中的学术应用体验。同时，本文论证了一项试点计划：以游戏化手段助力教育4.0落地，并探讨其如何强化厄瓜多尔某人口稠密城市中面向社会边缘群体的公立学校幼儿教育。本研究针对选定的EDG系列（MIDI-AM）的效用与可用性因素展开评估，该系列工具被用作4至7岁儿童教学活动的辅助载体。研究采用定性定量混合研究方法，涵盖全面系统的文献综述、数据采集策略，并通过焦点小组访谈与线上问卷调查开展分析。本次评估结果明确了游戏化设计的优化方向，并提出了开发更多EDG的需求。本研究共提出六项研究假设，并验证了所提出的模型可作为后续学术周期中评估EDG的工具，以辅助课程内容建设，助力构建更具活力与主动性的学习模式。