Gamification: have fun e-learning

In my previous blog I ended on the note, "Have fun learning." Re-looking the ending, I've tweaked it a bit, therefore this post focuses on how facilitators can develop fun e-learning activities for adult learners, who may have limited time to participate in complex gaming activities due to work, family, social and other commitments. Put another way, this post will focus on some of the simple gamification techniques that can be used to spruce up e-learning.

According to exultcorp.com (2016), "gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to e-learning courses. It improves learner engagement and motivates them to achieve their goals." Based on the definition, gamification may include e-badges, e-certificates, points system and other awards learners may accumulate after successfully completing an online activity. I'm happy to inform that I'm using gamification tools in my role as a Course Coordinator and as a Human Resource Manager with responsibility for training and development.

Gamification in the online class room

On August 29, 2016 I expressed interest in awarding badges to students, however it could not be considered at that time. Therefore, I decided to read further and design some badges for the next semester (January 2017). My initial designs were visually appealing, given that it contained high quality png trophies, however I could not find information regarding the original designer nor authorization for the use of the trophies. In addition, it was a bit difficult to find 3 trophies (bronze, silver and gold) that were free to use, complementary and met the standard that I had in mind. Therefore, using Inkscape (my favourite open-source graphics creator) I quickly designed and incorporated 3 trophies into e-badges (see designs below for level 2 - Bronze, 3 - Silver and 4 - Gold):

For the Level 1 badge, I used a blue trophy that required no attribution or backlinks. The group badge was designed with the input of students: I asked for their advice regarding the colour and type of trophy or material that could represent a group award. The students suggested a crystal  or diamond and it was used in the design. To design the badges, I used the bezier curve draw, gradients, text and circle tools all of which were available in Inkscape. Once the designs were finalized they were uploaded to the learning platform.

On successful completion of an assignment, each student received a congratulatory message and instructions for managing and downloading the badges. All students participated in the graded activities, therefore, using my own rating scale the level of student engagement and motivation was 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10, with10 being the highest (it's possible for the level of engagement to be 10, however I always leave room for improvement).

Gamification in the work environment

In terms of gamification in the work environment, I've designed 2 courses (1 original and 1 re-mixed)  which are comprised of 5 lessons each. On completion of each lesson, employees are required to select the 'Mark Complete' button (see image below).

On completion of the final lesson, employees may attempt an online quiz. A score of 80% or more enables the automatic generation of a notice and an e-certificate with the employees name, the name of the course and the date and time of completion. The company's logo and a watermark are also included on the certificate. Employees can also track their progress (see summary below), and view the statistics for their graded assessments. The statistics show the questions, points available per question, correct, incorrect, time taken per question, total points scored and total results as a percentage.

The leader board can also be activated at a later date, however as at November 2017 I'm still fine-tuning and testing some of the features. The majority of the plugins and software used were free of cost or kept at a minimum.

Recommendations and rationale for selected options

The badges were chosen for the students given that they are working toward obtaining an undergraduate degree and certificate. Moreover, the course is limited to a given semester (the learning page wiped clean) and new material uploaded for each new cohort. Based on the level of success with the e-badges in particular, I intend to offer it again in the upcoming semester. 

Alternatively, the e-certificates were suggested for the employees based on the tradition within the organization (employees are accustomed to receiving certificates of participation) and due to the privileges which allowed administrators to remove, add, modify content and track employee performance for an unlimited period. The e-certificates will take full effect after the number and type of courses are settled on and included in each employee's professional development plan.

The options that I've used were incorporated without receiving formal training in gamification nor web design. What's required for the successful implementation of gamification (at the aforementioned level) is willingness to learn (ask questions), patience, research, review and request early feedback from colleagues, friends, family and potential users. Find out if learners are having as much fun using the tools as you had preparing the games.

Sources

Exult. (2016). [Infographic]. Gamification Facts. Retrieved from https://www.exultcorp.com/gamification-facts/