Engagement-Motivation-Reward-Achievement

Lesson Outcomes Understand the concept of Gamification. Identify uses of Gamification already existing in the world. To look at and analyse current implementations of gamification in education. Review how gamification can be effective at various levels in education (Compulsory, Further Education, and Higher Education)

Links to assessment In this module you have been asked to: critically discuss the impact of digital learning and the need for educators to adopt innovative approaches. Produce and critique three digital resources. Gamification may be a theme for part 1 and one of the resources for part 2. But what is Gamification? Start a discussion on the topic of gamification, the use of game mechanics in non-game contexts to increase participation, and achievement. THINK!

Principles of Gamification There are arguably three principles for defining gamification to be effective. Achievement Competition Fun Tutor should preface that as they will see in a moment, there are many ways to define and quantify gamification. However it could arguably be broken into three main principles: achievement, competition, and fun.

Achievement Progress Bars Badges High Scores Progress Bars, a tally score that tracks individual progress towards a goal. Some progress bars when completed award a "level up" and then reset. This gives the additional benefit of incentivise  continued participation. Badges; similar to the achievement system used by Boy Scouts and even the military, you earn unique badges for certain acts. This fuels the kleptomaniac collection mentality. High Scores, Allowing people to track scores and ranked against their peers will inspire competition and therefore incentivise people to continue to participate.

Competition Opponent Pride For something to be a successful game mechanic with longevity we want to see some form of competition, this comes in the form of having opponents to compare scores against or compete against. This leads to Pride, making a participant feel happy and accomplished in their achievement. The most common source of pride is from beating opponents or rivals.

Fun Accessible Challenging In order for the mechanics to entice people to continue their participation the mechanic must be fun. The idea of fun can be defined by two things, accessibility and challenge. Everyone must be able to enjoy the content and the mechanic but it must not be too easy to deter people away because they find it boring. It has to be easy to do but hard to master.

Suggested Reading Here are 5 website articles discussing gamification. Read them, and make notes on their interpretation of gamification. http://mashable.com/2011/07/28/gamification/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabe-zichermann/gamification_b_2516376.html http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405270230381970457931672146114 8950 http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2013/10/07/adam-penenberg-how- gamification-is-going-to-change-the-workplace/ Compare your notes and note similarities in the discussion on gamification. Learners should go through these websites and others that they find and make notes on similarities. Gamification is still a very new concept, so a lot of people have varying definitions of it. After comparing these different views, learners should be able to identify similar ideas and theories to allow them to define gamification them selves in the next activity.

Defining Gamification Activity After reading and researching materials on Gamification, in small groups, define in your own words what gamification is and how it works. From the previous task, learners will be able to write up their own definition of gamification. They are encouraged to talk amongst their peers to share thoughts and ideas about the topic and come to a decision on their definition and how it works in various fields.

Recap Define Gamification What were the three main principles of effective gamification?

Common Game Mechanics in Education Stickers rewarded for good behaviour or good work. Student of the Month trophies End of Year Certificates Inter-class competitions (i.e. class vs class or country vs country) Tutor should encourage open discussion about ideas of game mechanics currently in use in schools. Learners could work in small groups and brainstorm a list of ways of including game mechanics. Chinese example at Bradford College.

Reflection Take a moment and share personal experiences of gamification in education that you have experienced Share these with those around you and your tutor. THINK! Leading on from the previous discussion point, learners should think about their own experiences of game mechanics used in their own education.They should then begin to discuss and share what they believed were the intended outcomes of each mechanic. Write up what you think were the projected outcomes of these examples?

Discussion Education is of course a varied area, with many different audiences, the main being Compulsory Education, Further Education, and Higher Education. Within each large sector comprises students of different abilities and needs. Therefore some particular game mechanics may not be as effective for certain audiences. Games are designed for particular audiences, and applying gamification methods to the classroom is no different. Tutor will go on to discuss the idea that different mechanics must be used based on the target audience. Education is full of diversity and therefore mechanics are designed for particular audiences.

Activity Discuss with peers and design a suitable gamification method that could be used for the following different levels in education: Compulsory Education Further Education Higher Education Learners should discuss and come up with game mechanics to use for each of the stated education levels. This should be accompanied by justifications for each choice.

blog Using the internet, research teachers from around the world that have experimented with and implemented gamification techniques in their classrooms. Blog about their techniques, implementation and findings and consider how this could feed into both parts of the module’s assessment. Teachers across the globe are using and experimenting with game mechanics in the classroom and most of them are sharing their experiences online in the form of blogs or articles. Learners should research these and write about them, making note in particular of the teacher's relative success in using the mechanic. The next step is to link this with the module’s assessment.