Gamification in education is intended to reform traditional lessons into enhanced and advanced learning experience where students get to choose, practice, and explore content, also earning badges and status benefits.
Crafting a suitable learning journey for students to follow can influence students progress positively and ensure success.
Combining intentionally crafted and aligned content with gaming mechanics can incite students to willingly participate.
Below are three keys to qualify gaming experience;
Rewards for completed tasks
Gamification facilitates learning by providing experiences that are noncompetitive. Students can complete different challenges in and off the classroom.
Such challenges can include extra readings, practice activities and video viewing. The more time the student spends consuming content can improve depth of students’ knowledge and skill mastery.
Such investment should be rewarded either badges or work related status.
Offer renewable statuses through self direct learning
Some say that you create the wrong impression or motivation by giving out rewards for doing work, suggesting that students become more focused on the prizes than on the learning.
However, this issue is dependent on the type of work and the rewards that are earned. Gamification uses achievements and badges as a means to encourage students to improve their content skill levels by completing meaningful tasks.
The tasks should align with the expectations of the curriculum.
Gamification promotes goal setting and student agency
Allowing students the opportunity to choose the badges they want to complete help them own their learning, and renewable options enable students explore the options appeal to them. They should also be able to choose the pathway that appeals to them as well as well.
Gamification seems like a more preferred option over game-based learning because it is likely to have a greater impact on learning. Gamification maximizes participation allowing everyone the opportunity to win. If done well, it can be infused throughout the entire lesson of study.
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