Gamification
Overview
Gamification is the incorporation of game-related elements to non-game contexts such as education. In education, gamification is used under the assumption that the type of engagement experienced by gamers can be translated to support students’ learning. After considering the contexts, learning objectives and distinctive needs of their students, educators in a gamified classroom setting may integrate such game-related elements as progress indicators, fun, narrative, immediate feedback, mastery, player control, social connection and scaffolded learning to impact students’ attitudes, behaviours and actions and enhance their motivation, engagement, creativity, retention and overall learning outcomes. The term gamification was first penned by Nick Pelling in 2003. But gamification in education can be traced back to Thomas Malone’s 1980 study on motivating computer games and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 2002 exploration of game principles in public policy studies. In recent years, Katie Salen, Jessica Hammer, Joey J. Lee, Jane McGonigal, Jesse Schell, and Karl Kapp have further advanced the application of gamification in education.
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Guidelines for Use
Guideline 1 - Identify Context and Learner Audience
- Identify the learning abilities, age group, skill set or current knowledge of students.
- Identify the context such as learning environment, time frame, subject or topic.
- For example, the beginning of a gamified e-learning module would state that it is aimed at biology students in grade 11 who have taken grade 10 biology and are familiar with cell structure, specialization, and mitosis as well as dissections. You would specify that this module is aimed at grade 11 students and will focus on cellular functions, genetic processes, biodiversity, evolution, and the anatomy, growth, and function of plants.
- Define the overall learning goals that you want the student to achieve.
- For example, at the completion of the first task, the student will understand:
- a particular concept such as taxonomy.
- be able to work collaboratively with a classmate to identify parts of the concept of taxonomy.
- Decide how you want to structure the learning whether by stages, tasks, levels, or assignments completed, time spent, levels of complexity reached in a challenge, points or badges accumulated, or missions completed in a quest.
- Assess if you want the learning to be individually focussed or collaborative as part of a team or group or a mixture of both.
- Identify what students need to achieve, reach, know at each point, level or stage as they progress through their learning.
- For example, in order to complete the task of successfully dissecting a frog, you would ask students to identify each body part, list which tools are to be used for each component of the dissection and ask them to present a visual image of a dissected frog.
- Define the rules that govern students’ progress and achievement of tasks.
- Identify the tools you will use to track or measure students’ progress throughout the lesson, i.e.: incorporating such game elements as points, badges, deadlines, scores, unlocking a clue, giving them access to the next level or additional information, etc.
- Pinpoint when it is appropriate to measure, i.e.: specific stages or completion of tasks or assignments.
- Evaluate if the means you are employing enable timely and effective feedback to the student and you as the instructor.
- For example, you may decide that a student must achieve 100% on a task before progressing to the next task. And you equate achieving 100% with 5 points for a particular task.
- There are several gamification elements that can be incorporated into the learning such as:
- Giving students the freedom to choose but also to fail.
- Showing student progress through points, scores, progress bars, dashboards or leaderboards.
- Giving immediate, specific and individualized feedback.
- Creating personalized experiences or challenges.
- Inventing narratives or stories.
- Enabling students to choose different identities or roles.
- Giving them individual or group tasks to complete or a mixture of both.
- For example, students can choose and have control over the shape, size or colour of the programmed object they create when programming and have the freedom to able to change, adjust and return to it until they are satisfied with it or until they get it right.
Good Examples of Use
Example 1 - Learning Spanish with Duolingo for Schools
- Teachers can use Duolingo for Schools to create a gamified online classroom for learning Spanish for students.
- Teachers can create and schedule a class and share the link with students or set them up with individual accounts.
- Assignments specific to grade level and Spanish curriculum can be added.
- Various class activities can be set up.
- Game elements such as personalized feedback, flashcards, power practice and accrual grading that connects points to correct answers can be incorporated.
- This learning to program video by Khan Academy supports students learning to program by incorporating the game elements listed below:
- Letting learners know that they have the freedom to fail and it is okay.
- Showing progress by enabling the learner to see what they are creating through their programming by having a window showing the code and another one showing what is being created by the code.
- Giving learners immediate feedback through voice, text and images that there is an error.
- Giving learners the freedom of choice and letting them choose the size, shape, colour of their creation.
- Giving learners access (unlocking content) to other learners’ creations so they can see their coding and learn from them.
Helpful Resources
Resource 1 - The Innovative Instructor Blog About Gamification
- Defines gamification.
- Explores the process of gamifying education.
- Provides links to definitions, research, talks, and websites about gamification.
- A high school teacher explains how she has incorporated gamification in the classroom environment to motivate and engage her students.
- Describes the pedagogical role of game elements.
- Lists types of gamification strategies.
- Provides examples of gamification and game-based learning tools.
- Explains the difference between Gamification and Game-Based Learning.
Research
Brunvand, S., & Hill, D. (2018). Gamifying your Teaching: Guidelines for Integrating Gameful Learning in the Classroom. College Teaching. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329014473_Gamifying_your_Teaching_Guidelines_for_Integrating_Gameful_Learning_in_the_Classroom
Caponetto, I., Earp. J., & Ott, M. (2014). Gamification and Education: A Literature Review. Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Game-Based Learning.
ECGBL, 1, 50-57. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266515512_Gamification_and_Education_a_Literature_Review
David, L. (2016, January 26). "Gamification in Education," Learning Theories. Retrieved from:
https://www.learning-theories.com/gamification-in-education.html
Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: what is known, what is believed, and what remains uncertain: a critical review. International Journal of
Educational Technology in Higher Education. 14(9). Retrieved from:
https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5
Huang, W. H-Y., & Soman, D. (2013). A Practitioner’s Guide to Gamification Of Education. Research Report Series: Behavioural Economics in Action. Rotman School
of Management, University of Toronto. Retrieved from:
https://inside.rotman.utoronto.ca/behaviouraleconomicsinaction/files/2013/09/GuideGamificationEducationDec2013.pdf
Landers, R. N. (2015). Developing a Theory of Gamified Learning. Simulation & Gaming. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268632276_Developing_a_Theory_of_Gamified_Learning
Lee, J., & Hammer, J. (2011). Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother? Academic Exchange Quarterly. 15(2). Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258697764_Gamification_in_Education_What_How_Why_Bother
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329014473_Gamifying_your_Teaching_Guidelines_for_Integrating_Gameful_Learning_in_the_Classroom
Caponetto, I., Earp. J., & Ott, M. (2014). Gamification and Education: A Literature Review. Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Game-Based Learning.
ECGBL, 1, 50-57. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266515512_Gamification_and_Education_a_Literature_Review
David, L. (2016, January 26). "Gamification in Education," Learning Theories. Retrieved from:
https://www.learning-theories.com/gamification-in-education.html
Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: what is known, what is believed, and what remains uncertain: a critical review. International Journal of
Educational Technology in Higher Education. 14(9). Retrieved from:
https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5
Huang, W. H-Y., & Soman, D. (2013). A Practitioner’s Guide to Gamification Of Education. Research Report Series: Behavioural Economics in Action. Rotman School
of Management, University of Toronto. Retrieved from:
https://inside.rotman.utoronto.ca/behaviouraleconomicsinaction/files/2013/09/GuideGamificationEducationDec2013.pdf
Landers, R. N. (2015). Developing a Theory of Gamified Learning. Simulation & Gaming. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268632276_Developing_a_Theory_of_Gamified_Learning
Lee, J., & Hammer, J. (2011). Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother? Academic Exchange Quarterly. 15(2). Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258697764_Gamification_in_Education_What_How_Why_Bother
Contributor
Submitted by: Ivetka Vasil
Email: [email protected]
Bio: I am a graduate student in the M.Ed. program in Education and Digital Technologies at Ontario Tech University with an interest in incorporating gamification
into healthcare learning environments.
Email: [email protected]
Bio: I am a graduate student in the M.Ed. program in Education and Digital Technologies at Ontario Tech University with an interest in incorporating gamification
into healthcare learning environments.