Indulge Your Online Learners with Gamification

Gamification is an interesting concept put forward by Nick Pelling in the year 2002. So what does Gamification mean? It can be defined in simple terms as the use of machines and the feel of a simple game in order to inspire positive changes in people. It helps awaken the same human instincts that generally inspire the feeling of competition in sports and other such fun activities. The general elements included are the desire for recognition, competition, status, achievement, and altruism.

A simple example of Gamification can be that of Volkswagen. A lottery radar speed camera was installed in their machines which penalized drivers who exceeded speed limits and also awarded a lottery ticket to those who respected the speed limits. The prize for the lottery was funded by the penalised drivers. This resulted in positive changes in drivers and they started to respect speed limits. When changed into a simple game, more people felt inclined to control their speeds.

Blend of E-Learning and Gamification:

This is an interesting concept that can be put into use in the field of e-Learning as well. It can help promote the commitment of the students towards the whole process. Games are known to be very effective in increasing the level of interaction among the people and motivating them to learn. This adds additional benefits to the learning process. Studies have proven that adding a point system helps people become more engaged in the training system.

Motivation through Gamification:

Gamification helps to motivate the online students and this makes them more interested in investing time and effort into the training. According to the John Biggs and Cathering Tang’s Theory:

• The learning activities included in the online e-Learning process need to be meaningful to the students.
• Gamification helps as an additional motivation tool for the students to take their training effectively. It challenges them and makes the process even more exciting.
• Gamification makes sure of the instincts in people to compete against each other. This motivates and encourages them to perform better and initiates positive behaviours.

Gamifying the Online E-Learning Courses

• Pose Challenges – Take some real life situations and build a learning experience for the students with a higher difficulty level. You need to include a compelling story and a journey of challenges in a typical game.
• Hero – Make the participants the hero of your story.
• Offer Points and Rewards – Offer instant feedbacks like in a game. Let them experience consequences for their decisions and understand their progress. You could also add badges, coins, medals, treasures and such rewards.
• Set Out Rules for the Game – Explain the whole concept and set out the rules of the game before you begin. The participants need to be thorough about the means to earn reward points.

Gamification can be an excellent feature in your online e-Learning sessions. This increases the passion for learning and helps your students perform better.

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