Abstract
Gamification has been gaining increasing acceptability in recent times in educational and commercially related activities, as a tool that encourages and improves the motivation of digital native learners. Since learners can easily engage, educationists have explored gamification as a tool for remediation of engagement, motivation, and collaboration. However, the literature showed that the structural and contextual deployment of game elements is defined only partially in practice. Subsequently, gamification success and failure factors should be explored to identify the required enhancement to achieve improved efficiency in current systems. This research extracts the relevant aspects of gamification that need due consideration to make a guided choice through existing theories. This study is based on an online gamified study that uses well-founded concepts in teaching and evaluation of students in a university. Although badges earned and time spent indicated an increase in engagement, the results show that further work needs to be done by incorporating feedback elements, social interaction, and interactive guidance. The underlying impression is that timely, frequent feedback and personalized guidance, avenues for collaboration and interactivity need to be explored towards the better utility of gamification. Therefore, learning culture in the current learner-centered environment should be further studied to infuse better productivity.
Highlights
The concept of using games for education has attracted many scholars as it addresses the growing concerns about engagement and motivation in the present technologically advanced times
Realising the potential of gamification in improving engagement and motivation of learners (Karagiorgas and Niemann 2017; Fogg 2009; Nakada 2017), the objective of this study is to observe the effect of gamification on the engagement of learners in learning pursuits offered through an online learning environment to help students prepare for admission tests they take for higher education
The study relied on a quantitative approach to measure the engagement of learners throughout the gamification process through a case applied on an online course on Moodle
Summary
The concept of using games for education (or gamification) has attracted many scholars as it addresses the growing concerns about engagement and motivation in the present technologically advanced times. The potential of Gamification as a promising intervention to improve motivation and engagement was first realised in the commercial activities, where organizational leaders realized that the lack of engagement on the part of employees could critically undermine smooth execution and positive outcomes sought of an innovative, and critical strategy (cognizant 20–20 insights 2013). Many studies have realized the potential of gamification in education to induce holistic and sustainable behavioral, affective, cognitive and social interactivity changes in the learning activity as a response to the (2019) 6:17 changing learner needs (Deterding et al 2011a; Gee 2003; Prensky 2001; Blohm and Leimeister 2013). The informed gamification-based frameworks through means such as incentives and rewards for performance and innovation can help induce the behavioral and cognitive acumen needed for continued motivation and engagement
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