Gamification

Short Description

Gamification is the use of game-typical elements in a non-game context. These game-typical elements include experience points, highscores, progress bars, rankings, virtual goods or awards. The goal of gamification is above all the realization and initiation of behavioral changes. By integrating these playful elements, a substantial increase in the motivation of those learners is to be achieved, who otherwise have little challenging, perceived too monotonous or too complex tasks to do.

Tools

• Specific plugins in LMS, e.g. LevelUp! for Moodle
• Specific tools or platforms

Scenario

There are many gamification scenarios, e.g. in language learning, role-playing games, rating of case studies, collecting experience points and increasing levels.

Here are three simple scenario examples:

1. Experience points and levels: One basic element of gamification is the awarding of points for certain activities. By fulfilling certain tasks, each student collects experience points, depending on the complexity of the task. By collecting these points, the participants gradually increase in different levels.

One way to integrate Experience Points, Levels is the Moodle plug-in ‘LevelUp!’ which can be added system-wide or to individual courses. The plugin displays three pieces of information for the learners: A big star indicates which level the learner is at, the total number of experience points the learner has already collected in total and a progress bar showing how many Experience Points the learner still has to earn to progress to another level. The item Ranking gives access to a ranking list in which all learners are lined up with their achieved levels and points.

Teachers who want to use the plugin have to prepare rules for specific actions in particular courses (e.g. giving 30 point for creating a forum post) and specify the number of levels and the necessary points for each level (s. links provided).

2. Mutual Assessment of case studies: Students are enrolled in groups. Each group must prepare a case study. The students correct each other’s case studies. Subsequently, the case studies are corrected by the lecturer. When the case studies are returned, a list of the students’ corrections is presented in comparison to the correction of the lecturer. Thus, the students see how close they are to the corrections of the lecturer

3. Classic role-playing, theater: Role-playing games offer a variety of opportunities to test and develop linguistic behavior, especially in language lessons. Learners play individual scenes, practice immersion in various roles, and thus offer students a variety of opportunities to experience themselves both verbally and non-verbally.

Assessment

Gamification systems helps to keep track of learner stating how they are progressing. Usual formative assessment with instant feedback is used (e.g. experience points, scores, badges, …)

Additional Resources

Business Academy RUHR LevelUp !: The Gamification Plugin for the learning platform Moodle

Level up! Gamification for Moodle

LMS Pulse Level Up! Kept Your Moodle Game Strong. Now, Level Up! Plus Will Bring Your A-Game

Game For Change 

Racoon Gang Gamification in Education and its examples

Medium Educational Practices behind Gamification

Connection with other methods

Collaborative Learning
Work in Teams