Gamification: Enhancing Student Engagement

Adding gamification mechanics to the classroom will help students imagine lessons as a set of challenges or quests.

FREMONT, CA: Today, gamification can be seen in a wide variety of digital products and is used to improve user interaction and simplify complex tasks for the user. It includes the main elements, including goals, rules, feedback, incentives, and motivation. These elements transform ordinary tasks into sports, lessons into quests, and credits into treasures. Below is how gamification is used in classrooms to enhance student interaction.

Begin the User Journey

The user journey is the progress of the user at each point of the product through use. Teachers are experts in crafting user journeys—the lesson plan is just that. Carefully planned, each lesson is connected to another and adapted to student needs. Adding gamification mechanics to the classroom will help students imagine lessons as a set of challenges or quests. When their skills progress through the courses, expertise is learned, and challenging tasks become more manageable.

Scaffolding

The word used in both User Experience (UX) and education is a powerful method to help students apply knowledge to prospective circumstances as they progress along the user's path. In UX, scaffolding occurs when a new application or service features are gradually revealed; as the user becomes more experienced in using the product. For instance, in a language learning course, a word bank helps students keep track of new words and phrases that have been mastered during their lessons. Every time a phrase is correctly interpreted, a point is added to the student scoreboard. If the expression is used in a situation different from what is taught; but still used appropriately, an additional point is given. This strategy strengthens the target language while also allowing them to apply their expertise in various contexts.

Rules and Rewards

Classroom management will also teach or break a lesson. Using the rules and rewards system will help preserve order while at the same time, developing healthier behaviors. Rewards can come in several shapes and forms, from an additional five minutes of exam time to extra credit for the early assignment. It should also be noted that specific incentives cannot appeal to all students. When implementing activities, it is necessary to help students understand the rules of the game before playing. Similar to onboard instructors, students can model their tasks and illustrate the task in real-time.

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