Gamification to engage learning
Teachers have always introduced games into their pedagogy but in today’s world of digital learning and Extended Reality (XR), gamification gives us new options. As distinct from game-based learning, which implies a more playful and generic application, gamification involves a planned design of activity with competition among learners and a set of rules, which usually offers fast feedback. A key criterion is that game-like activity is introduced into a non-game context: in this case education or training.
The mechanics of gamified learning will often include a points system, a leaderboard and perhaps badges and levels, but can mean the import of stand-alone apps or the design of games which derive directly from the educational content. In our context of interactive learning there are key debates about user attributes, gender bias, social reputation and status, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and learning styles, but the challenge will be whether such planned activities engage, motivate and result in learning. The whole point of gamification will be offering fun or enjoyment within a learning context provided these outcomes are met.
We should also consider how large or small a burden gamification may imply for teachers or designers, as sometimes significant effort may only result in a short-term gain unless existing apps or Open Education Resources are used. The selected articles in this collection offer studies of gamification relating to a range of contexts including e-learning systems, MOOCs, Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) and university wide courses, and offer particular findings in relation to flipped learning outside the classroom.
Edited by
Dr S L Greener(University of Brighton)