Most digital learning tools used in schools are unsatisfactory and only test the knowledge the pupils already have," says Bj?rn Sj?dén, who has reviewed a large number of computer programs in his doctoral thesis "What Makes Good Educational Software?"

Bj?rn Sj?dén has a background in the computer games industry and is part of the interdisciplinary research group ETG (Educational Technology Group) at the universities of Lund and Link?ping in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis, Bj?rn Sj?dén defines 'digital learning tools' as "subject-specific, interactive computer programs that provide feedback to achieve a specific learning objective."

Bj?rn Sj?dén has had two groups of pupils play a math game for eight weeks. Both groups were to help a computer character -- a digital pupil -- throughout the game. Then one group was to take a digital math test where the same character was featured. The other group took the same math test without their digital friend. "The pupils that were helping their digital friend were more engaged. They wanted to solve more and harder math problems to help their digital character. Especially low-performing pupils became more motivated. This knowledge should be utilised in digital learning tools," says Bj?rn Sj?dén.

The research group ETG collaborates with Stanford University and others, to develop and study three digital learning tools -- two in math and one in history. The software is non-commercially developed, and will be free.

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