Is there a place for Gamification in ILT or blended learning?

We have been using gamification in some form or fashion since elementary school. Think back to the ticket system or points awarded as part of comprehension questions in Reading or the game of jeopardy with Math questions. Did that spark creativity and excitement for you as a child? Teachers use elements of gamification to make learning exciting. Why go far? Think about Spiderman and his competitive spirit. How did the cartoonist weave competitive elements in that show to engage its viewers? Gamification as an ideology has existed for years, however it is gaining popularity in the field of eLearning rapidly. For those with limited resources, how can we use the elements of gamification in ILT? Are there any positive aspects of using gamification in ILT or blended learning? Let’s consider some of the overall benefits of using gamification before we delve into strategies and best practices.

Why do we need Gamification in ILT/vILT/ blended learning? What are some of the benefits?

Firstly, it evokes a friendly competition.
Secondly, it brings a spirit of achievement.
Attempts to bring about behavior change through user engagement.
Taps into extrinsic motivation while rewarding behavior
Provide immediate feedback and gratification
Taps into kinesthetic learning style
Finally, gamification encourages progress and drives innovation.

I can’t think of any better reasons to justify the use of gamification in learning solutions.

Wikipedia provides a generic definition of the term, Gamification. Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. Gamification employs game design elements in non-game contexts to improve user engagement, productivity, learning, and more.

Think of the points you collect for rewards in Kohl’s or a gas station that gives you a couple cents off when you’ve collected certain number of points. All those are examples of gamification.

You will finds many variations of points, badges and Leaderboards in gamification. However, at a very basic level, these are a means of providing feedback and tracking progress.

Points: are award based on desired behavior. Once you collect a certain number of points they can be redeemed for awards. In educational setting points can be awarded for completing assignments, modules or earning an A on a quiz. You could have a tiered system of points.

Badges: Another form of recognition, badges symbolize a tangible jersey, trophy that can be kept and displayed on other platforms. A medal, a plaque are other comparable examples that I can site.

Leaderboards: Even Leaderboards are a type of feedback that track progress, they also rank players or learners. Seeing your name displayed can itself be a sense of accomplishment.

This is a very high-level description of 3 basic elements of gamification.

Let’s go back to elementary school. Envision the beginning of the academic year! Teachers gear up for students by setting up a theme to entice students into learning. Maybe a series of points can be collected for students to earn treasure from the treasure box. Now project that forward, how about we set up a theme or boot camp at the beginning of the semester. A series of Survivor-like challenges, that entice graduate level students to earn points, badges and put their name on the leader-board through the semester. The key to setting up a theme implies laying down the rules early in the game. Then providing a series of academic challenges to earn points or badges through the semester. Another rule of thumb is to make challenges achievable, so it feels like an accomplishment to earn rewards. This series of challenges could include:

Teach back with points or badges.
Case Studies which earn a badge.

Let’s draw a simile with Survivor. How about we set up teams or groups of students? Building teams allows a spirit of collaborative competition. Encourage them to choose a team name.

Group assignments or presentations provide a platform for recognition. Put team names on leader-boards and let them see their progress. Give badges for most-improved, most-engaging presentation, most collaborative team etc. Points work well with cafeteria-style learning. Set up workstations or a menu of activities. Assign points to each workstation or activity on the menu. This not only empowers learners to choose and design their own path of learning but also builds on the sense of competition. Design activities with overlapping objectives. This lets learners design and own their learning experience and content.

Let’s consider a practical example: In a graduate level class on instructional design, you asked students to prepare a training solution based on Gagne’s principles. Students have worked in groups to present their learning solution/training to you in class. What elements of gamification can you use here?

Design a rubric. Assign points to each level based on Gagne’s principles.
You could have multiple badges: Best training design, presentation badge, research badge etc.

We could display individual badges on a leader-board. The team with the most badges could be the “Survivor”. This allows individual accountability in addition to fostering collaboration and competitiveness.

Here is another variation of gamification: Why set up a course in a linear fashion? Why not provide a flex learning path! Which allows the learners to know the progression as well as the inter connection between sub-topics. Katrin Becker write about another variation called flex achievement path. Provide a learning path with assessments, tests, quizzes set up in way that the you lose points for late submission but not run the risk of a straight ‘C’ in class.

Provide a leveled structure for discussion boards in blended learning. Remember many of our under-graduate students are building experiences and want a tangible output to display on the resume. Create a hall of fame for students with maximum points or badges. In the world academia and corporate learning, the hall of fame functions like the baseball’s hall of fame. An accolade that can be easily displayed on the resume.

Even though the class is instructor led, you can provide a touch of technology by including polls. Pose academic questions as a poll through Kahoot. Most students have smart phones and can easily use technology to respond. Kahoot software can then be easily used to display points on a projector.

Generation Z and Millennials tend to be tech savvy. Envision an MBA marketing class, where students can demo a product or create a media blitz using their smart phones. Then submit a link to their video for points or badges. Not only is this an engaging project but it also builds samples for their portfolio. Consider students who aspire to be teachers. They study many learning theories or theorists before building their own. Ask them to design a media blitz or infographic on the learning theory closest to their heart. They could design their own learning tutorial which can function as a teach-back. All of these assignments can be easily recognized on leader-boards and also be displayed on a portfolio.

Design gamified leveled assignments or quizzes along with a learning path to encourage learners. The possibilities are endless! And the rewards could be tangible or intangible. Tangible rewards can vary from a homework pass, a get-out-of-class pass to a badge displayed on the resume or LinkedIn profile. The idea behind adding gamified elements is to engage learners and appeal to their extrinsic motivation.

Finally, let’s address Best Practices. In my opinion, you should

Reward each task that goes above and beyond.
Target every learner
Use small yet practical challenges
Establish rules early and set clear expectations.
Be consistent
Incorporate points or badges and explain it to create buy-in
Use a series of leveled yet achievable challenges
Use gamified assessments and puzzles to spice up ILT/vILT.

Last but not the least, let’s address the Steps to incorporate Gamification:

Define Success Criteria
Don’t Use gamification as a sole incentive
Tie it with course goals and objectives
Create a theme/provide a context
Keep levels achievable and rules simple
Use levels (to guide linear content) and badges appropriately (good for non-linear progress)
Pilot test gamification experience on a small group
Be transparent.

In short gamification is an age old ideology that has been used in the traditional classroom for centuries. It has only recently gained popularity in eLearning. Let’s take a step back and re-apply it to instructor led or blended learning.

Further Reading: