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What is gamification?
Gamification is using game elements and principles to enhance the productivity of a service, system, organization, or activity. The main applications of gamification include education and training, work, crowdsourcing, and even authentication in some cases.
It is no wonder why gamification is such a popular strategy. It results in 60% more employee engagement in training. As for learning, it is a proven way of improving information retention.
While learners only recall
- 10% of what they read and
- 20% of what they hear,
- this rate is 90% in a gamified task!
Now, what exactly do people mean by gamification? What are some of the core elements and principles of games?
Game elements and principles
To gamify a task, you need to make use of certain elements and principles. You need to make learners feel like they are in a game. Our teacher guide covers pinpoints for this goal.
- Points
You can track your students' performance with points, which is an element of gaming. Multiple-choice questions are a great way to utilize points in e-learning.
- Leaderboards
Leaderboards create a sense of competition in the class. Competition improves engagement. You can use leaderboards to create a competition among your students.
- Stories
An engaging story is a backbone of a narrative-based game. You can also use stories to gamify the learning experience. If there is a story behind their task, your students can be more invested in the class.
- Teammates or opponents
Another great way of creating competition is breaking down students into teams. This will not only help learners collaborate but also improve their interest. After all, competition is fun.
- Achievements
Rewarding your students with little prizes like badges is an example of gamification. In digital games, players are awarded "achievements" upon completing specific tasks. Gamify that in your digital class, and see how your students react.
Those were some of the main principles in gaming. Gamification is using them to enhance productivity. But what can you do to employ them in your digital class? What are some of the ways to gamify e-learning?
How to gamify your digital class?
In essence, gamification boils down to using the elements mentioned above. Whether it be writing a gripping narrative that leaves the students on the hook or creating fierce competition between them - it's all up to you.
Going about gamifying digital classes, you should use a proper program for your needs. The software you use needs to serve specific purposes. For instance, tools like multiple questions, breakout rooms, and icebreakers are your friends to gamify your digital classes. Make sure your software has them.
Perculus allows you to integrate games and activities in your course flow. You can add your own games or just use Perculus’ ready-to-use games.
Now, what are some examples of learning gamification in practice? Tune in to check out some ideas. You can either use them or create your own way - do whatever works for your class!
Learning paths and badges simplify the process
One of the most typical applications of gamification in learning is learning paths. You can break down a huge course to make it look easier. That will encourage the learners to go step-by-step and complete their tasks.
You can award your students with badges for each learning module completed, just like achievements in video games. In doing so, they can be more motivated.
Those techniques are not uncommon. Duolingo, which is a textbook example of gamification, uses learning paths. Google's digital learning courses utilize badges and learning paths as well. So, why don't you?
Performance evaluation after each topic
Quizzing is a practical method of performance evaluation. It can also create competition between students, which can help them retain the information they learn earlier in the class. Assesment tools for teachers are constantly getting rich in features.
You can create quizzes with questions of your choice using Perculus online classroom. It can prove pretty helpful, especially right after finishing a topic.
Stories are a wonderful way to teach
Using captivating stories is a great way to enhance student engagement in class. Although it is not applicable in all cases, you can find a way to use narrative elements.
For instance, stories are commonly used in foreign language learning. You can also find them in management or business classes - case studies are stories, after all.
Long story short, narration is a useful and fun way to gamify your e-class. Utilize it.
Use icebreakers for better interaction
In digital classes, students are often isolated from one another. However, the classes would be more efficient if they knew and felt comfortable with each other. Icebreakers can solve that.
Gamification examples can help you find good ideas. Just a simple game is sufficient to get students to know each other. Take "Two Truths and A Lie" for example. It is a game where participants give three facts about themselves - one being a lie. The other participants try to guess the lie.
There are countless icebreakers you can use in your digital class. You can easily access them without the hassle of coordinating with software like Perculus.
Benefits of gamification in education
Wonderful ways are out there to gamify your digital class. But why? Why should you utilize gamification? If you’re unsure, here are some of the benefits:
- Real-time feedback opportunity for learners
- More interactivity leads to more engagement
- Experiencing real-world scenarios without risk
- Using the reward mechanism makes learners addicted to learning
- Improves information retention
Final words
Gamification is everywhere. It has many applications that can improve productivity. Education is one of the most prominent domains where gamification is utilized.
As gamification improves engagement, it is particularly paramount in digital learning, where low attention spans and lack of interaction are huge problems.
That is why you should gamify your digital classes with the required techniques and software - namely, Perculus. It's an all-in-one solution for all your e-learning needs. Try it for free!
