Student engagement, mentioned earlier in the problem section, has recently been on the decline. One way to help reengage students is by using technology. One form of technology that can help reengage students is gamified learning (Hamari et al., 2015; Ke et al., 2015; Buckley & Doyle, 2016; Poondej & Lerdpornkulrat, 2016; Aleksic-Maslac et al., 2017; Rivera & Garden, 2021). More specifically, by using gamification and game-based learning. Student engagement is one of the factors that influence student success at school. Therefore, educators must make their classes as engaging as possible. Gamification and game-based learning are one possible solution to our problem of disengagement.

Research on gamification has shown that it is effective for engaging, motivating, and getting desired outcomes out of people (Poondej & Lerdpornkulrat, 2016). In a study by Aleksic-Maslac et al. (2017), they surveyed over 300 students about the use of gamification in their classes and their level of engagement. They used a 5-point Likert scale, and 90% of students responded with their level of engagement being 4-engaged or 5-very engaged. Subsequently, Buckley & Doyle (2016) studied the effects of gamification on 156 students. They found a much higher level of motivation in student participation in class and a much higher level of engagement. In the post-test, many students scored higher than on the test before the gamified experience. Furthermore, Poondej & Lerdpornkulrat (2016) studied 577 students, giving them a pre-gamification and post-gamification survey. They found that students in the treatment group, gamification, had much higher engagement than those in the control group. This was reinforced through the surveys and test scores from the students at the end of the experiment. Students in the treatment group self-reported a higher level of engagement when taught through gamification and scored higher on the unit test than the control group. These studies show that gamification is worth investigating for our disengagement problem. They show that students in a gamified learning environment have higher levels of engagement.

Another way that educators can gamify their classrooms is through game-based learning. Game-based learning is another way that teachers can use technology to increase engagement. Hamari et al. (2016) studied 134 students across 11 different classrooms. They used games to help teach these students different units in their class, and then the students participated in a post-test. They found that educational video games can effectively engage students in learning. The study also suggested that engagement in educational games had a positive effect on students learning. Furthermore, Ke et al. (2015) found that game-based learning occurs in multi-phase development from pure affect engagement to cognitively engaged psychological experience. The study suggests that game-based learning offers enough challenges and activities to keep students engaged when used correctly. They also find that game-based learning engagement has a positive impact on students learning needs. Therefore, these studies show that gamifying your classroom via game-based learning can reengage students and have positive impacts on students.

Our problem of engagement in our classrooms can be solved by gamifying our classes. Studies have shown that both gamification and game-based learning increase student engagement, positively impacting their learning. Using a gamified approach is a great way to reengage today’s youth. So, game on!

Jon's Pilot
Jon has implemented gamification in the classroom using Classcraft (www.classcraft.com). The implementation is strictly confined to the Manitoba Grade 5 Social Studies curriculum (Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning, 2006). This curriculum deals with Indigenous life before contact with colonization, through the fur trade, and ending with Confederation. Unanimous consent was obtained from all students to participate. Students were given the option of withdrawing from the gamified experience, as all assignments would be concurrently posted in Google Classroom. The overall goal of the gamified experience is to have the students get a vested interest in their character, attain the highest level, and thereby complete the Social Studies curriculum for the year.

Students took part in an hour-long introductory lesson to learn about the different features of the game. Students were then allowed to join the game via their Google Classroom login. During character creation, students could select either Guardian, Mage, or Healer. Each character class had their unique abilities and flaws. The in-game avatars could be customized with different clothing and items.

The game mechanics include powers, behaviours, pledges, and quests. Powers allow the students to engage in student-centred positive outcomes such as extra recess or skipping an assignment. Behaviours involved rewards and consequences surrounding positive and negative behaviour. For example, if a student showed empathy towards someone else, they would receive an experience point reward. If the student chose to be disruptive in class, they would lose “hearts.” Once a student loses all of their hearts, Pledges come into play. A pledge is a form of restorative practice wherein the student must make amends for whatever negative behaviour(s) caused them to lose their hearts or “fall,” as it’s referred to in-game. Students were actively involved in the creation of behaviours and pledges.

Quests are the crux of the game. They are tied directly to assignments posted in Google Classroom. As students complete and turn in assignments, they are awarded experience points to level their characters up. Following Chou’s (2015) Core Drives and assigning epic meaning, the teacher writes a story surrounding the assignment. For example, one assignment is identifying and creating a map of the landforms of Canada. A backstory was created to engage the students in the task. As Araujo and Carvalho (2022) noted, the writing of a truly engaging story can take considerable time, on top of the preparation of lessons. Finally, as the students progress, more quests are opened at a self-directed pace. Eventually, a quest will have a series of tasks that can be completed in any order by the student, adding the element of choice to the game.

Furthermore, some additional mechanics can influence student behaviour. A volume meter is provided when the teacher requires quiet in the classroom, such as during silent reading. Random events add a level of humour to the game. For example, one random event requires all students to speak in a pirate accent for the duration of a period. Finally, there is a formative review function in the form of a boss battle. The teacher designs questions based on learnings from the quests. Random or predetermined groups of students are selected to answer the question. Each correct answer removes one or more hearts from the boss.

Two weeks into the pilot, all students have chosen a character class, customized their avatar, and written a short narrative piece giving their character a backstory. Eleven out of sixteen students have completed their first quest, with two incompletes being absent due to illness. For the second quest/assignment, two students handed it in early, four were on time, five were late, and five still needed to open the quest. Students took part in a test Boss Battle and found it engaging as it was similar to a Kahoot game. Similarly, student interest was increased once the mobile companion app was implemented, and XP awards or Heart loss due to behaviours could be applied on the fly. Significant challenges have occurred, such as winter concert practice, that have affected the momentum of using the Classcraft platform.

The third and final week of the pilot has seen an increase in engagement. Fourteen of the sixteen students have completed the first two quests, and eight out of sixteen have completed the third. Two students have remained absent this week. The increase in quest completion has resulted in two students levelling up and gaining access to different powers and gear. One student was able to unlock the pets feature. Another student figured out how to purchase gear using gold pieces. Students have begun to get used to the Volume Meter. The Volume Meter controls noise levels in the classroom at select times. During the three instances it was used, students were cognizant of the noise level in the classroom, reminded their peers to watch their volume, and could stay on task for the set duration. Off-task and disruptive behaviour remained minimal this week as the companion app remained in use.

Eric's Pilot

Eric's implementation of Classcraft took place over a period of 2 weeks in which 13 grade 4 Language Arts students participated in the pilot project. To begin the implementation a close-ended survey was conducted asking two question. The first question asked students if they find gaming programs interesting and the second asked them if they think Classcraft would motivate them to complete class assignments. The next part of the implementation was setting up the program and adding students to the gamification platform. The survey and initial set up took place during the first week.

During the second week the students created their avatars and then began the process of increasing their experience points. Behaviours and powers were clearly explained to the students and time was given at the end of each class to check their progress. At the end of the two week implementation period, all students were still working their way through level one which requires a total of 1000 experience points. No powers were given out at this time.

The results over the first two weeks of implementation revealed that students became more motivated to complete class assignments, there was an increase in student engagement, and there was an increase in class discussions and collaboration. When surveyed at the end of the first week of in-class implementation, all 13 students said that Classclaft was a fun addition to the class and that it helped them become more motivated to complete class assignments. To gain a more complete understanding of how Classcraft affects student learning and motivation further implementation of the program will need to take place over a longer period of time.