Project Objectives

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Objectives

Gamification of learning and gamified assessment are popular terms in use in today’s classrooms to describe the pedagogical technique and application of the mechanics of games in order to make learning more appealing (Campos, Batista, Gardiman, Madeira & Signoretti, 2015; Moncada, & Moncada, 2014). However, there is criticism in relation to the use of games in learning situations is that there is a dichotomy between the game and teaching.(Moncada, & Moncada, 2014; Zainuddin, Chu, Shujahat & Corinne, 2020). In order to bridge the two and frame the game within the learning situation, it is essential to experiment and to demonstrate how gamification that turns the real learning happened. Gamification is a new but rapidly growing trend impacting a wide range of areas, such as education, marketing and others and it can be considered an innovation in these areas, though it is rarely seen in this light. On the other hand, gamification is predicted to revolutionize the innovating process by now, but we do not see many examples of it (Subhash & Cudney, 2018; Zainuddin, Chu, Shujahat, & Corinne, 2020).

Gamification of learning provides an opportunity for University faculty to experiment with another teaching strategy beyond the traditional, lecture-based style. Gamification can serve as a means to engage students in greater complexity than through traditional instructional methods (Silva, Leal, & Rodrigues, 2019; Subhash, & Cudney, 2018) Experiencing fun-inducing learning activities may help propel students to want to do and learn more, and to dig deeper. One way to motivate students, even at the University level, seems to be utilizing the creativity and inventiveness that can be generated through gamification of learning. When designed and structured effectively, gamification activities that aim to supplement both online and face-to face instruction may provide not only a viable alternative but also occasional relief from passive didactic lectures.

This project seeks to examine the effect of a gamified learning and assessment design on student learning habits, namely, learning motivation and flow experience (Csíkszentmihályi, 1990; Jackson, Martin & Eklund, 2008). Currently, there is scarcity of research on how elements of a gamified curriculum may influence students’ learning processes and experience. Despite a rise in the number of studies investigating game-based mechanics in school settings, there is a lack of research to validate its effectiveness in higher education settings.

The main objectives are four folds:

1) To explore the changes, if any, that the gamified model has on students’ flow of learning experience

2) To examine and design the mechanics of designing a gamified curriculum

3) To produce gamification activities and gamified assessments that can be used to supplement higher

education teaching and learning

4) To provide recommendations regarding the adoption of gamified pedagogy and gamified assessments in

higher education.

References

Campos, A., Batista, E., Signoretti, A., Gardiman, R., & Madeira, C. (2015). Gamifying activities in a higher education course. In European Conference on Games Based Learning (p. 117). Academic Conferences International Limited.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikzentmihaly, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (Vol. 1990). New York: Harper & Row.

Jackson, S. A., Martin, A. J., & Eklund, R. C. (2008). Long and short measures of flow: The construct validity of the FSS-2, DFS-2, and new brief counterparts. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 30(5), 561-587.

Moncada, S. M., & Moncada, T. P. (2014). Gamification of learning in accounting education. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 14(3).

Silva, R., Leal, C., & Rodrigues, R. (2019). Gamification in management education - A literature mapping. Education and Information Technologies, 2019.

Subhash, S., & Cudney, E. A. (2018). Gamified learning in higher education: A systematic review of the literature. Computers in human behavior, 87, 192-206.

Zainuddin, Z., Chu, S. K. W., Shujahat, M., & Perera, C. J. (2020). The impact of gamification on learning and instruction: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Educational Research Review, 30, 100326.