Gamification in Learning

I’ve been reading a lot on the gamification of learning in education. And more importantly, why we would want to gamify learning in the first place.

Are you ready? Let’s go.

Gamification of learning is an educational approach that incorporates video game design and game elements into learning environments. FutureLearn define gamification as “a strategy that implements game-like elements into non-gaming activities to enhance engagement and motivation.”

The goal is to enhance engagement and motivation by capturing learners’ interest and inspiring them to continue their educational journey. By leveraging game mechanics and psychology, gamified learning aims to make the learning process more enjoyable and improve knowledge retention. It involves using strategies like point-scoring, rewards, and competition to create meaningful learning experiences.

• Increased Engagement: By embedding game elements, learners can become more engaged and motivated in their learning. Points, badges, and rewards create a sense of achievement, encouraging them to participate actively in the learning process.
• Enhanced Retention: Gamified content often leads to better knowledge retention. The interactive nature of games helps reinforce learning concepts, making them memorable. Various educational strategies like retrieval can be embedded within the platform to challenge learners in how much knowledge they can retain across lessons.
• Immediate Feedback: Games provide instant feedback, allowing learners to correct mistakes and reinforce correct behaviors. This accelerates the learning curve.
• Personalisation: Gamification in learning allows customisation based on individual progress. Learners can choose their learning paths, making the experience more relevant and adaptive to their needs.
• Social Interaction: Multiplayer games or leaderboards can foster a healthy competition and collaboration among learners, which can promote greater social interaction and teamwork (this can be particularly helpful for pupils who may struggle with this). This competitive aspect can spark greater involvement from male learners who have a natural competitive streak and can be used with female learners in with group collaboration (and the competitive aspect too – girls are just as competitive, if not more in some instances, as boys).
• Skill Development: Gamified challenges encourage problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity, helping learners develop practical skills. Games have always been a part of learning and can be useful to learn less measurable skills such as strategy development, planning and organisation. With these skills, I’m thinking of games that I played when I was younger like Age of Empires, Sim City or Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that with an open-ended gameplay style allows for players to experience consequence – how they interact with different characters, make choices all impact the outcome of the game. Other games like Grand Theft Auto V and The Witcher 3 are two other examples of open world games in which the player can make specific decisions that can impact the direction and outcome of the game.

While gamification in learning has many benefits, there are also some potential disadvantages to consider:

• Overemphasis on Rewards: Students might focus more on earning points, badges, or other rewards rather than on the actual learning objectives. This can lead to a superficial understanding of the material and a misunderstanding of what real learning is.
• Equity Concerns: Not all students have equal access to the necessary technology, which can create disparities in learning opportunities. I know within my classes, not every student uses social media, not every student has a smartphone and not every student has access to a home computer/laptop. This issue is an important one where it can create inequality of access were none should exist.
• Diminished Value Over Time: The novelty of gamification can wear off, leading to decreased engagement and motivation over time.
• High Development Costs: Creating and maintaining high-quality gamified learning experiences can be expensive and time-consuming. Very few teachers will have the skills, time or desire to create a game that will adequately convey both the learning aspects and the  quality needed to closely match industry standards.
• Potential for Increased Competition: While some competition can be healthy, too much can create stress and anxiety among students, potentially leading to a negative learning environment. Gamification in learning is meant to enhance the learning process not overtake it and dominate its purpose.
• Distraction from Learning Goals: If not well-designed, gamification can distract students from the core learning objectives, making the learning process less effective. This can be an issue for teachers who are not professional game developers (nor should they be).
• Technical Challenges: Implementing gamification requires reliable technology and technical support, which might not always be available.

Leaderboards are a popular gamification strategy that can significantly enhance student engagement and motivation. Here’s how they work and their benefits:

Gamification: How Leaderboards Work

Leaderboards display the rankings of students based on their performance in various tasks, quizzes, or activities. They typically show the top performers and can be updated in real-time to reflect the latest scores. This visual representation of progress and success can be a powerful motivator.

Benefits of Using Leaderboards

• Increased Motivation: Seeing their names on a leaderboard can motivate students to perform better and strive for higher rankings. This competitive element can drive students to put in more effort and stay engaged with the material. This started in arcade games where the leaderboard gave information as to who was the best in the local area – leaderboards now can take on a global context and this can heighten the desire to compete but also eliminate a desire to even try.
• Healthy Competition: Leaderboards can foster a sense of healthy competition among students. This can encourage them to challenge themselves and each other, leading to improved performance and learning outcomes. But there is consideration needed to ensure that the aspect of competition does not overtake the learning aims.
• Immediate Feedback: Leaderboards provide immediate feedback on students’ performance. This helps them understand where they stand and what areas they need to improve. This can be helpful in games where there is a greater emphasis on learning and achieving learning goals.
• Enhanced Engagement: The dynamic nature of leaderboards keeps students engaged. They are more likely to participate actively in class activities and complete assignments to improve their rankings.
• Recognition and Reward: Being featured on a leaderboard can be a form of recognition for students’ hard work and achievements. This can boost their confidence and encourage them to continue performing well.

Considerations for Implementation

• Fairness: Ensure that the criteria for ranking are clear and fair to all students. Avoid creating a system that only rewards the top performers consistently.
• Inclusivity: Consider having multiple leaderboards for different types of activities or skills to give all students a chance to shine.
• Balance: While competition can be motivating, it’s important to balance it with collaboration and teamwork to create a supportive learning environment.

Digital badges can be a powerful gamification strategy that can enhance motivation, engagement, and recognition in educational settings. They are used in online platforms and many game platforms.

Game example: Zwift is an online ‘gaming platform’ for cyclists. It was created to make indoor cycling fun and allows cyclists from all over the world to take part in digital races and cycle through digital worlds using their road bike, attached to a turbo trainer. You move your avatar by cycling – the faster/harder you cycle, the faster you move. This filled a gap in the market for cyclists during the winter.

The example of Zwift is not an educational one, but the principles of gamification that are being used here are the same. There have been moments while using the platform that I have been tired and near the end of a route when a segment appears and the motivation to beat my last score overtakes the fatigue in my muscles. It is this exact motivation and engagement that we are seeking from our learners.

The badges in the screenshot are awarded for completing mini-challenges within each session. They are structured into the following categories:

• General achievements
• Cycling achievements
• Running achievements
• Extra credit
• Route achievements
• Completed missions
• Completed training plans

These categories include achievements like ‘Marathoner: Ride 40km’; ‘Sprinter Apprentice: Hit 500 Watts’; ‘First Five: Run 5km in a single session’; or achievements for the many routes available in the platform. There is an element of competition that creeps in with certain achievements – logging a session everyday (I’ve never got over three in a row); or your maximum wattage output (a sweat creator!) and even the route achievements, since returning to use Zwift over the summer, I have been ticking off each route from the shortest/easiest to the longer/harder routes. This type of progression also encourages a consistent improvement to my training and translates well into our topic-by incrementally increasing the difficulty, I am increasing my level of fitness. The exact same thing happens through repeated learning using gamified learning.

Gamification: How Digital Badges Work

• Setting Objectives & Goals: As teachers, we define the specific learning objectives and goals that students need to achieve to earn badges. It could be logging in each day for a set number of days in order to develop good learning habits.
• Designing the System: A structured system is created where badges are awarded for completing tasks, mastering skills, or achieving milestones. In Zwift, the achievements rank from easy to difficult. This encourages progression through the platform and is a form of motivation and encouragement to keep moving forward.
• Badge Creation: Each badge represents a specific achievement and is designed with unique icons and descriptions.
• Earning Badges: Students earn badges by completing the required activities or demonstrating proficiency in certain areas on the platform.
• Reward and Recognition: Badges serve as a form of recognition for students’ efforts and accomplishments.
• Badge Display: Students can showcase their badges on digital platforms, portfolios, or social media, highlighting their achievements. Badges may also be set to private (but visible to teachers/course leaders), but they will still motivate and encourage the learner.

Gamification: Benefits of Digital Badges

• Increased Motivation: Badges provide a tangible reward for students’ efforts, encouraging them to stay motivated and engaged in their learning. It can also represent a visual cue as to how much the student has learned or achieved on the platform so far.
• Personalised Learning: Badges allow for personalised learning paths, where students can progress at their own pace and focus on specific areas of interest.
• Skill Recognition: Badges can  recognise and validate specific skills and competencies, which can be useful for future educational or career opportunities.
• Enhanced Engagement: The gamified element of earning badges makes learning more interactive and enjoyable, leading to higher levels of student engagement.
• Goal Setting: Badges help students set and achieve specific learning goals, providing a clear roadmap for their educational journey. The structure of a badge system can allow for learners to break up a goal into smaller, more achievable targets.
• Collaboration and Competition: Badges can foster a sense of healthy competition and collaboration among students, as they work towards common goals and share their achievements.

Real-World Example

In a classroom setting, a teacher might use digital badges to reward students for completing units in a maths course. For example, students could earn badges for mastering addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. As they progress, they can earn more advanced badges for solving complex problems or participating in math competitions. These badges can be displayed on a class leaderboard or in students’ digital portfolios, providing a visual representation of their accomplishments and encouraging further learning.

Quizzes are a versatile and effective gamification strategy that can significantly enhance student engagement and knowledge retention. Here’s how they work and their benefits:

Gamification: How Quizzes Work

• Interactive Format: Quizzes can be designed to be interactive, using digital platforms like Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Socrative. These platforms allow for real-time participation and instant feedback.
• Variety of Question Types: Quizzes can include multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, short answers, and more, catering to different learning styles.
• Immediate Feedback: Students receive immediate feedback on their answers, helping them understand their mistakes and learn from them.
• Scoring and Leaderboards: Quizzes often include scoring systems and leaderboards, adding a competitive element that can motivate students to perform better.

Gamification: Benefits of Using Quizzes

• Increased Engagement: The interactive and competitive nature of quizzes keeps students engaged and interested in the material.
• Knowledge Retention: Regular quizzing helps reinforce learning and improves long-term retention of information.
• Formative Assessment: Quizzes serve as a formative assessment tool, allowing teachers to gauge student understanding and identify areas that need further explanation.
• Motivation and Fun: The gamified elements of quizzes, such as points and leaderboards, make learning fun and motivate students to participate actively.
• Adaptability: Quizzes can be easily adapted to different subjects and difficulty levels, making them suitable for a wide range of educational contexts.

Real-World Example

In a science class, a teacher might use Quizizz to create a quiz on the topic of ecosystems. Students can participate using their devices, answering questions about food chains, habitats, and biodiversity. The quiz platform provides instant feedback, and a leaderboard displays the top performers, encouraging a healthy sense of competition. This approach not only makes the learning process enjoyable but also helps students retain the information better.

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