Trace Effects is a video game that teaches American English and culture in the context of a student entering a university setting for the first time. I conducted an informal evaluation of its program theory. I found the following major concepts behind the game: cognitivism, constructivism, the communicative approach to language acquisition, gaming as an instructional strategy, the TESOL 2008 Technology Standards Framework, and the US Department of State’s vision.

1. Sandra A. Rogers &
R. Burke Johnson
University of South Alabama
MSERA 2015
Lafayette, LA, USA
TRACE EFFECTS:
PROGRAM THEORY
LOGIC MODEL

2. What is the program theory behind the
Trace Effect video game?
Permission granted to use this image.

3. Outline
1. Describe Trace Effects.
2. Describe this informal program
evaluation.
3. Discuss the program theory of Trace
Effects.
4. Share the logic model.

4. Description of Evaluand
•Trace Effects is a free, 3-D multimedia
interactive video game that can be played
from a DVD or online by an individual or as a
group.
•It has a complimentary mobile app called Trace
Word Soup, which is a vocabulary game.
•The game teaches American English and
culture in the context of a student entering a
university setting for the first time.

5. Program Objectives of Trace Effects
•Outreach program of the Office of
English Language Programs and the
American English resource center.
•Department of State’s (DOS) effort to
provide English language skills to
talented 13-20 year-olds from
economically disadvantaged sectors of
the world.

6. Program Theory Evaluation
Evaluator’s Lens: The informal evaluation was
conducted according to the pragmatic-use-
evaluation-branch (Mertens & Wilson, 2012).
Stakeholders: The following key stakeholders
participated in the study: script writers,
material writers, Regional English Language
officers (RELOs), and educators.

7. Research Questions
•What are 3 strengths of the game?
•What is the instructional gaming theory
used by Trace Effects?
•What is the DOS’ belief about gaming as
an instructional strategy?
•Which educational psychology
paradigm(s) is/are the game based on &
why?

8. Research Questions continued…
•Which language learning theories, models, and
best practices is the game based on?
•Which instructional strategies are used in the
game design?
•Which learning theories, models, or best
practices are used to teach culture in the
game?
•How will one know if users improved their
English language ability and/or learned about
American culture by using the game?

9. Logic Modeling
Definition: The logic model graphically displays
the inputs (investments of effort, time, and
money), outputs (activities and participation) &
outcomes (short, medium, and long-term
objectives).
Example from Trace Effects: A proximal
outcome for students and teachers is to learn
the gaming system, which is a type of e-literacy
often included in multi-literacy skill discussions
for 21st century learners & educators.

10. Program Theory of Trace Effects: Part I
The program’s learning theory is based on
the following learning paradigms:
cognitivism, constructivism, the
communicative approach to language
acquisition, *TESOL’s computer-assisted
language learning Technology Standards
Framework (2008), & gaming as an
instructional strategy.
*Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages International Association

11. Program Theory: Part II
Some external factors embedded in the
program are derived from the DOS pillars:
entrepreneurship, community activism,
empowering women, science and
innovation, environmental conservation, &
conflict resolution.

12. Logic modeling is a way to provide a
graphical representation to illustrate
an organization’s effort & its
relationship to the outcomes.
See my Trace Effects logic model for
more information.
You can view the game at this address:
http://traceeffects.state.gov/

13. CONTACT
Sandra A. Rogers
PhD Student in Instructional Design
University of South Alabama
sar1102@jagmail.southalabama.edu
R. Burke Johnson
Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
University of South Alabama
bjohnson@southalabama.edu

14. References
•American English. (2012). [Website]. U.S.
Department of State. Retrieved from
http://americanenglish.state.gov/
•Bikowski, D. (2012). Trace Effects teacher’s manual,
Part 1: Gaming in education. Office of English
Language Programs. Washington, DC: Department of
State.
•Enhancing program performance with logic models.
(2003). University of Wisconsin-Extension Program
Development. Retrieved from
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallog
icmodel.html

15. References continued
•Mertens, D. M., & Wilson, A. T. (2012). Program
evaluation theory and practice: A comprehensive guide.
New York, NY: Guilford.
•Schwartz, K. (2012, December 12). The US State
Department gets into the education game [Web log
post]. Retrieved from
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/12/the-u-s-state-
department-gets-in-the-education-game/
•Technology Standards Framework. (2008). TESOL
International Association. Retrieved from
http://www.tesol.org/docs/books/bk_technologystandar
ds_framework_721.pdf

16. References continued…
•Trace Effects. 2012. [Website]. U.S.
Department of State. Retrieved from
http://traceeffects.state.gov/
•Wallin, M. (2013, April 2). Trace Effects: The
State Department’s English-teaching video
game [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://americansecurityproject.org/blog/2013/tr
ace-effects-the-state-departments-english-
teaching-video