Gamification For Learning: Strategies And Examples

Gamification is about applying gaming strategies to improve learning and make it more engaging for individuals. Gamification for learning can be ... Howcanwehelpyou? Loading... Oups.SomethingHasGoneTerriblyWrong.PleaseTryLater Home Gamification GamificationForLearning:StrategiesAndExamples GamificationForLearning:StrategiesAndExamples TierneyMJ/Shutterstock.com By MarioBuljan November15,2021|Sponsored 13minutestoread Comments Summary: Gamificationforlearningisaprocessthatusesgamemechanicstoenhancelearning.Thisarticlediscussesstrategiesandexamplesofhowit'sdoneeffectively. GamificationInLearningAndWhyItIsImportant Gamificationistheprocessofusinggameelementsinanon-gamecontext.Ithasmanyadvantagesovertraditionallearningapproaches,including: Increasinglearnermotivationlevels Improvingknowledgeretention Betterlearnerengagementthroughsocialmechanismslikebadges,points,orleaderboards Inourmodernworld,technologyisnaturallyadrivingforcebehindlearningandthedevelopmentofcurricula.Toachievebetterresultsfromlearners,today’seducatorsareincreasinglyutilizingcutting-edgedigitaltoolsandstrategiesintheirteachingmethods.Gamificationforlearningisoneofthesestrategiesusedincreasinglybyteachersaroundtheworld. Usinggamifiedelementscanpositivelyimpactstudentengagementandcollaboration,allowingthemtolearnmoreefficientlyasaresult. Gamificationisaboutapplyinggamingstrategiestoimprovelearningandmakeitmoreengagingforindividuals.Gamificationforlearningcanbebeneficialbecausegamesinstilllifelongskillssuchasproblem-solving,criticalthinking,socialawareness,cooperation,andcollaboration.Gamesalsomotivateindividuals,increaseinterestincertainsubjects,reducetherateofattritionamonglearners,improvegrades,andenhancetheircognitiveabilities. Didyouknow?Theglobalgamificationmarket'sestimatedCAGRgrowthis30%,around$31billion,between2020and2025comparedto2019. Inthisarticle,you’lllearnallaboutgamification,includingpracticalstrategiesandexamples.Bytheend,youshouldknoweverythingyouneedtogetupandrunningwiththiscontemporaryeLearningstrategy. garagestock/Shutterstock.com NeuroscienceOfGamification Gamificationpsychologyisafieldthatstudiesthebehaviorofusersingamifiedsystems.Inotherwords,itfocusesonhowtounderstandandinfluencepeople'sbehaviorsthroughgamingmethods.Studieshaveshownthatthebrainworksinharmonywithgamificationandthatittriggersthereleaseofdopamine,whichgivesplayersanincreasedfeelingofmotivationandenjoyment.Buthowexactlydotheyworktogether? 1.GamificationConnectsPeopleOnAnEmotionalLevel Emotionscanbeapowerfultoolforlearning.Theyhelpfacilitateencodingandretrievalofinformationmoreeffectively,makingthelearningprocessmuchmoreefficient.Gamificationcreatesanemotionalconnectionbetweenthecontentandstudents.Itstronglyinfluencestheindividuals'attention,whichmakesthemmorereceptivetolearning. 2.RecallIsControlledByTheHippocampus Thehippocampusisthepartofthebrainthatcontrolstheamountofinformationwerecallorremember.It'snosurprise,then,thatgamificationhelpsstudentsretainbetterwhatthey'velearnedduringclass.Gamificationstimulatesthehippocampalmemory,whichhelpspromotethestorageofnewinformationintolong-termmemory.Moreover,dopamine,aneurotransmitterlinkedwithlearningandmemory,isalsoreleasedfromthehippocampus,whichhelpsmaintainfocusonatask. 3.StoriesAreEasierForTheBrainToProcessThanFacts Thebrainprocessesstoriesmoreeffectivelythanitdoesastringoffacts.Forthisreason,storytellingisafantasticwayofdeliveringnewinformationtostudents.Gamificationgreatlybenefitsfromusingthisstrategy,asgamesoftenincludestory-tellingelementssuchasbackground,characters,plottwists,andmore. bluesroad/Shutterstock.com 4.GamePlayingImprovesEndorphinRelease Endorphinsarenaturalpainkillersthatimproverelaxation,calm,andfocus.They’renaturallyproducedbythebodywhileplayinggamesandperformingotherengagingactivities.Gamificationstrategiesimproveendorphinrelease,helpingtocreateanenvironmentidealforfocusedlearning. 5.PlayingGamesKeepsYourBrainHealthy Gamesencourageneuroplasticity,whichisthebrain’sabilitytorespondtodifferentstimulianddevelopnewconnections.Thiskindoftrainingcanstrengthenneuralpathways,increasecognitiveskillssuchasmemoryandattention,enhancecreativityandproblem-solvingskills,andhelppreventage-relatedcognitivedecline. GamificationVs.Games Game-basedlearningmakesgamesapartofthelearningprocess.Itisaninstructionalmethodwherestudentslearnspecificskillsorknowledgefromplayinganactualgame.Thistypeoflearningtakeseducationalcontentandtransformsitintoagamethatstudentscanplay.Ontheotherhand,gamificationonlymakesuseofgameelementsinanon-gamecontexttoenhancecontentcomprehensionandpromotebetterretentionofinformation.Themaingoalisstilltoimprovestudentengagement,butgamificationdoesnotnecessarilyaimtoteachthemsomethingnew. StrategiesInGamificationForLearning Thereareavarietyofgamificationstrategiesthatyoucanincorporateintoyourlearningenvironment.Themostpopularonesare: Pointsystems Assigningpointsforcompletingdifferenttaskscanencourageindividualstoworkhard.Italsoprovidesanaccuraterepresentationoftheireffortleveltoshowhowmuchtheyhaveprogressedthroughoutthecourseorlesson. Badges Badgesareafantasticwaytoacknowledgeandrewardpeoplefortheirefforts.Abadgeisanawardgivenintheformofavirtualobjectorapinnedimageonyourprofile.Itisafantasticwaytoshowthatyouvaluethehardworkandeffortputintothetask. Leaderboards Leaderboardsaregreatforcreatingcompetitionamongstudents,astheywillwanttoseetheirnameontopandworkharderasaresult.Youcanevencreateseparateleaderboardsbasedondifferentteams,dividingtheindividualsintosmallergroupsforbettercompetition. Challenges Achallengeisataskthatrequiresanindividualtocompletesomethingusingtheirtimeandeffort,butitdoesnothaveanynegativeimpactiffailedordoneincorrectly.Challengescanincorporatelearningstrategiessuchasproblem-solvingwhereindividualsneedtothinkoutsidetheboxtodevelopasolution. Othergamificationtechniquesorstrategiescouldincludetheelementofsurprisetokeepitexcitingandallowusersto"unlock"certainfeaturesorcontentinthegamebycompletingatask. Funfact:Gamifiedhealthcareappsareonewaytodistractchildrenfromthefactthattheyareundergoingmedicaltreatment. ExamplesOfGamificationInLearning Gamificationhelpsimprovethelearningexperienceinmanyways,whetherit’sthroughacademic,industrial,orbusinesscontexts.Inthissection,we’lltakealookatafewofthemostpracticalwaysyoucangamifylearning. GamificationInEducation Thereareseveralgreatexamplesofgamificationineducationthatcanhelpyouformyourowngamifiedteachingstrategy.However,beforedivingintodifferentexamples,let'sfirstlookatgameelementsyoushouldconsiderintheschoolsetting: Narrative Immediatefeedback Fun “Scaffoldedlearning”withchallengesthatincrease Progressindicators(e.g.,points,badges,leaderboards) Socialconnection Playercontrol Nowthatyouknowthedifferentelementsyoucanuse,let'slookatsomeofthebestexamples: Givingpointsformeetingacademicobjectives Givingpointsformeetingobjectivescanbeanexcellentwaytomotivatestudents.Itcanalsohelptrackprogressandincreaseengagement. Givingpointsforaccomplishingnon-academicobjectives Teacherscanalsorewardnon-academicobjectives,liketidyinguptheclassroom,withpoints.Thishelpsmotivatelearnerstomeetbothacademicandnon-academicgoals,whichencouragestheiroverallsuccess. Reflectonpersonalizedperformance Reflectingonpersonalizedperformancehelpsstudentsidentifyandtracktheirprogress.Itisagoodwayforlearnerstoself-assesswhatthey'velearned,predicttheoutcomesoffuturebehavior,andseehowfartheyneedtogotosucceed. Usingdifferentmethodsof“progression” Optingtouselevelsandcheckpointscanhelplearnersfeelliketheyareprogressingthroughthegame.Thismakesthemwanttofindoutwhathappensnext,whichkeepstheirattentionfocusedonlearning. Providetheoptiontogivebadgesratherthanpoints Badgesalsoworkwellwhenitcomestomotivatingandencouragingstudents.Aneffectivealternativetopoints,badgesareagreatwaytoimplementanelementofcompetitionintotheclassroom.Theycanalsohelpcreateasenseofcommunityandincreaseengagementintheclassroom,whichisfantasticforlearningsuccess. Usedifferentplatformsorapplications Usingdifferentplatformsorapplicationsisagreatwaytokeepstudentsengaged.Teacherscanachievestudentengagementthroughtablets,smartphones,andmoretoallowlearnerstoaccesstheirlearningresourcesanytimeandanywhere. Usingtechnologyinthismannerhelpsincreasestudentengagementandmotivation,whicharebothessentialforsupportingeffectivelearning.Someexamplescouldbethefollowing: KhanAcademy KhanAcademyisaNext-Generationeducationnon-profitthatprovidescompletelyfreeonlinelearningtoitsstudents.Itroutinelyemploysgamificationpracticestoassistinthemeasurementofprogressandachievements,aswellasallowstudentstocompetethroughbadges,leaderboards,andmore. Quizlet Quizletisarecentlypopularizedtoolthatutilizesgamificationtoproducesimple,effectivequizzesonstudymaterial.StudentsusingQuizletoftenlearnmoreeffectivelyandwithmoreengagementthanthosethatusetraditionalflash-card-basedapproaches. Duolingo Duolingoisaneducationplatformthathasappliedgamification.Itisaplatformwhereuserslearnlanguagesthroughpracticeandplay.Learnerscanacquirepoints,levelup,andcompetewithotherstostaymotivatedinthelearningprocess. Kahoot! Kahoot!isaneducationalgame-basedlearningplatformthatteacherscanuseintheclassroom,butitusesmanygamemechanicsthatfollowthegamificationmethodology.Ithasa"ghostmode"whereinstudentscanchallengethemselvestobeattheirscores,andithasleaderboardstocompetewithoneanother.Userscreatetheirgamesandquizzeswhichtheythensharewithotherteachers,students,oruserswhomaywanttoplaythemonlineatanytimeofday. GoogleRead-Alongapp TheGoogleRead-Alongappisagreatexampleofgamificationineducation.Itusesgamifiedfeaturessuchaspointsandbadgestohelpimprovethereadingexperienceforyounglearnerswhoarejustbeginningtheirjourneywithbooks.Thiscanbeusedinbothprimaryandsecondaryschools,especiallywhenmotivatingstudentstowardliteracygoalsandimprovingtheiroverallreadingskills. GamificationInBusiness Businessesarealsoincreasinglyutilizinggamificationtoimproveemployeeresultsbymakingthetediumofdailyworkintoafunandproductiveexercise. Hereareafewexamplesofgamificationinbusiness: 1.InteractiveLeaderboards Leaderboardsareagreatwayofencouragingemployeestokeepimproving.Bymakingthemawarethattherestoftheteamcanseetheirprogress,leaderboardshelpmotivateemployeestoperformbetterandaimhigher.Theyalsohelpcreatecompetitionwithinteams,whichcanleadtoimprovedteamworkandcollaborationamongfellowemployeeswhoareworkingtowardacommongoal. 2.Spin-To-Wins Spin-to-winsareagreatwaytomotivateemployeestowardbetterperformance.Itissimilartothe"spin"featureonslotmachinesinthatitencouragesuserstokeepplaying;theallureofwinningbigtimeorgainingsomethingvaluabletoimprovetheirUserExperienceencouragesthemtoperformbetter. 3.GoalTrackingProgressBar Goaltrackingprogressbarsareagreatwaytomotivateemployeestowardachievingsetgoals.Thebarmakesthemawareoftheirperformanceandcomparesitwiththecompany'soverallgoal,thusmakingthemmoredeterminedthanevertodobetter.Thesecanbeappliedinbothsmallbusinessesandlargecorporationswhereemployeesworktogethertoachievebetterresultsforthecompany. 4.Point-BasedTravelOpportunities Point-basedtravelopportunitiesareanewandeffectivewaycompaniesaremotivatingtheiremployees.Improvedworkresultsleadtoacquiringpoints,whichlaterrewardemployeesthroughallowingthemtopartakeinevents,travelopportunities,andmore. stockphotomania/Shutterstock.com 5.EmployeePointsRewardPrograms Employeepointsrewardprogramsareanothergamificationexampleusedinthebusinessworld.Theseallowemployeestoreceivepointsforimprovedperformance,enhancedcustomersatisfactionlevels,andbetterattendanceatwork.Thepointscanthenberedeemedforgreatprizesorrewards,suchasrestaurantgiftcardsormovietickets. Didyouknow?Employeeswhoparticipateingamificationare50%moreproductiveand60%moreengaged. FrequentlyAskedQuestions(FAQS) Isgamificationrelevantonlytolearning? No.Gamificationcanbeappliedtoanyactivityorgoalthatneedsencouragementandmotivationtowardbetterperformance,thusresultinginimprovedresultsfortheindividualandtheirteam. Whoinventedgamification,andwhendiditstart? NickPelling,computerprogrammerandinvestigativewriter,coinedtheterm"gamification"in2002. Dogamesreallyhelpyoulearn? Theanswerdependsonhowwell-designedtheeducationalgameis.Insomecases,studieshaveshownthatgamesmayhelpstudentslearnbetterandfastercomparedtotraditionalteachingmethods. Howdoesgamificationhelpinlearningtechniques? Gamificationforlearningisnotjustforentertainment.Itcanalsobeappliedtolearnnewtechniquesbyusingvariousincentivestoencouragepeopletoexplorenewwaysofdoingthings. HowdoIdesignmylearninggameeffectively? Generallyspeaking,alearninggameincludesthreethings:adefinedgoal,asetofrules,andawaytoearnpoints.Ideally,itwouldalsoinvolvesomesortofengagementfromtheuser,andbeeasytocomprehendwhilestayingrelevanttoyourendtopic. Conclusion bluesroad/Shutterstock.com Gamificationisagreatwaytohelpindividualsinthelearningprocessandmotivatethemtoperformbetter.Leaderscanincorporategamificationintovariousactivitiesandgoalsthatneedencouragementforbetterresults. TolearnmoreabouteLearningandtraining,visitourblogateWyse. Sources: Theimportanceofgamificationinhumanresources TopGamificationStatisticsof2020:NextLevelGaming TheInfluencesofEmotiononLearningandMemory ISGAMIFICATIONEFFECTIVE:THENEUROSCIENCEOFGAMIFICATIONINONLINELEARNING Game-BasedLearningvsGamification 10ExamplesofGamificationforEmployeeEngagement 25InsightfulGamificationStats,Facts,&Trendsfor2020 HOWDOESGAMIFICATIONAFFECTTHELEARNINGPROCESS? eWyse eWyseisanaward-winningagency,usingauniquemethodologycalledthe3CApproachtohelpbuildperfecteLearningcoursesthatengage,entertainandeducatelearnerswhilehelpingcompaniestoreachtheirobjectives.Let’sdiscussyourideas! VisitWebsite ReadAlso 6KillerExamplesOfGamificationIneLearning(UpdatedIn2020) 6ReasonsWhyGamificationEnhancesTheLearningExperience TopGamificationLearningManagementSystems(2022) 23EffectiveUsesOfGamificationInLearning:Part1 DoesGamificationTrulyHelpLearnersAcquireKnowledge? GameMechanics GamificationBenefits GamificationExamples WriteorreadComments Close