Ludic Pedagogy Meets ChatGPT: An Application of Fun, Play, Playfulness, and Positivity to a Technological Context

Abstract

This paper explores how Ludic Pedagogy – the incorporation of fun, play, playfulness, and positivity into learning – can address challenges to student disengagement and academic integrity. We use the case of AI predictive text tool ChatGPT to illustrate how intrinsic motivation can come from students' enjoyment and satisfaction with learning. We make two proposals: first, by using Ludic Pedagogy principles and approaching ChatGPT with a sense of curiosity and experimentation, students can engage more actively with their learning, and may be less likely to “cheat” on academic assignments. Second, designing authentic assessments that are completed with a sense of positivity may negate the usefulness of ChatGPT as a tool for academic dishonesty. Adopting a Ludic Pedagogy has implications for learning environments and assessment whereby educators may turn a technological “threat” into a learning opportunity and students may experience heightened engagement.