Play As You LearnGamification as a Technique for Motivating Learners

Dr. Ian GloverSheffield Hallam University, UK

i.glover@shu.ac.uk

Gamification• Using game-design concepts in domains

– Typically, but not exclusively, from computer games

• Distinct from Game-Based Learning and Serious Games– Gamification adds an extra layer over existing

activities– GBL and SG uses games as the learning medium

Motivation• Intrinsic

– Personal– Strong

• Extrinsic– External– Weak (usually)

• Mixed motivations common– e.g. interested in the topic, but also

want to gain recognition from peers.

Key Game Concepts

• Goal-focused activity

• Reward mechanism(s)

• Progress tracking

Goal-focused Activity• Working towards clearly defined targets

• Large goals should be broken down into sub-tasks

• Each sub-task should progress towards the overall goal

Reward Mechanism(s)• Different mechanisms appeal to different people:– Peer recognition– Awards– Benefits / Prizes

• Unappealing rewards have little motivational effect

• Possibly allow learners to choose rewards

Progress Tracking• Progress within overall goal, and any sub-tasks, should be readily available

• Progress can be shown relative to peers – e.g. Leaderboards

• Progress tracking is not a substitute for assessment

Existing Uses of GamificationEducation Uses

• Open Study• ClassDojo• Open Badges• Webmaker

Business Uses

• Passport to Professional Skills

• Online Travel Training

• 'Gold stars'Other Uses• Academic Experts• Chore Wars• Crowdrise• my1login

• RedCritter Tracker• Badgeville• FourSquare• DevHub

Quick Exercise

How would you Gamify Edmedia?

• What would be the goal?

• What would you encourage/discourage?• What rewards would you give?• How would you track activity?

• Over-justification effect– Extrinsic motivation can have negative effect on intrinsically

motivated learners (Groh, 2012)

• Only creates illusion of activity being rewarding (Teti, 2012)

• Encourages addicted/compulsive behaviour? (Zichermann, 2011)

• 'Rankings' may discourage some people (Williams, 2012)

Criticism of Gamification

• Is motivation a problem?• Are there behaviours to encourage/discourage?• Does the activity lend itself to game concepts?• Would this create a parallel assessment route?• Would some learners be favoured over others?• What rewards would work best?• Are rewards too easy to obtain? • Will it encourage learners to spend too long on particular activities?

To Gamify or Not?

• e-Learning systems routinely capture data useful for gamification– Link Classroom Clickers to leaderboards– Publicly rank learners according to grade– Adaptively release new materials and activities upon mastery

• Encourage cooperative/collaborative learning– Reward contribution to forums, wikis, etc.– Issue badges for achievement

• More ideas: http://www.growthengineering.co.uk/how-to-gamify-15-ways-to-introduce-gaming-concepts-into-elearning

Gamifying e-Learning

Gamification+ is a recent term for an established idea+ can be a useful motivational tool+ is particularly suited to behavioural

reinforcement + lends itself well to e-Learning

– isn't for every situation– may have negative effects– needs careful planning

Questions?

Dr. Ian GloverSheffield Hallam University, UK

i.glover@shu.ac.uk

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• Groh, F. (2012). Gamification: State of the Art Definition and Utilization. In Proceedings of the 4th seminar on Research Trends in Media Informatics, 39-46.

• Teti, J. (2012). Rev. of Assassin’s Creed III. The Gameological Society.

• Williams, J. (2012). The Gamification Brain Trust: Intrinsically Motivating People to Change Behavior (part 2). Gamesbeat.

• Zichermann, G. (2011). Gamification has issues, but they aren’t the ones everyone focuses on. [Editorial] O’Reilly Radar.

References