| Abstract | Academic orientation is essential for students to understand university struc-tures, services, and expectations; however, traditional approaches, usually based on PowerPoint presentations, tend to be passive and offer limited en-gagement. To address this, the “Serious Games at Westminster” research group (SG@W), developed “Navigating Westminster”, an interactive applica-tion incorporating educational serious games to support orientation learning. The application includes six sections covering key aspects of student life, designed to foster engagement, understanding, and application of essential knowledge.
The aim of this paper is to present a study that evaluates Navigating Westminster from educators’ perspectives, examining its effectiveness com-pared with traditional induction methods, its pedagogical impact, and its in-fluence on student engagement and learning. Data were collected through structured questionnaires with both Likert-scale and open-ended items, sup-plemented by student feedback via QR-code questionnaires and usage of Google Analytics.
Findings indicate that educators consistently perceived the application as more effective than traditional methods, highlighting strengths such as in-creased engagement, interactivity, and clarity of content delivery. Sections such as the Library Quiz and Tutoring & Support were identified as particu-larly effective in supporting student understanding. Student feedback and engagement metrics supported these findings, showing high levels of interac-tion and perceived usefulness.
Overall, Navigating Westminster demonstrates that gamified, interactive approaches can transform academic orientation from passive information de-livery into an engaging learning experience. By enhancing students’ under-standing, confidence, and ability to navigate university life, the application provides a pedagogically sound alternative to traditional induction methods, that supports both student learning and educator effectiveness. |
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