Issue 18 - Autumn 2021
Online learning has exploded in recent years – we are seeing organisations – from world renowned educational institutions and Universities to global corporations adopting it and, in many cases, choosing it over the traditional learning classroom model. It’s estimated that by 2025, the global EdTech market will be worth $350 Billion and this is backed up by research which shows that students or learners retain 25–60% more information when learning online compared to 8–10% in the classroom.
It’s therefore not surprising that the ways in which we learn online are being enhanced further and tools and techniques are being deployed to improve our learning experience and our ability to retain information – this is where gamification has come to the fore and it’s currently the hottest ticket in town with regards online learning. In this article we investigate the rise of gamification in education – the benefits and what the future might have in store.
When you hear the word ‘gamification’ the chances are that you don’t associate it with education – however in recent years it has become mainstream fare for businesses, brands, consumers, educators and learners. It has found its way into groundbreaking science projects, presidential elections and leading educational resources.
So what is gamification and where did it originate? Gamification refers to the implementation of game design elements (badges, rewards, point scoring etc.) to other areas of activity (such as marketing techniques or education) to encourage participation and engagement. The central idea is to take the ‘building blocks’ of games and to implement these in real-world situations, often with the goal of motivating specific behaviours within the gamified situation.
It was in 2010 when ‘gamification’ began to gain momentum more widely with the incorporation of social and reward aspects of games into various software applications. This started the onset of a number of businesses creating gamification platforms and marketers started incorporating game elements into their marketing initiatives. As a consumer in today’s world you may not even be aware of some of the online and offline gamification methods you come into contact with daily – from Duolingo, to loyalty stamps at your local supermarket and coffee shop to the use of your Fitbit.
In recent years the benefits of gamification have become more widely acknowledged and we have seen its application boost participation in education and learning settings. Gamification has been proven to make learning more enjoyable, immersive and accessible, resulting in higher uptake in educational programmes and ongoing participation. Its function in learning, while currently extremely innovative and advanced, would seem however to be only in its infancy. For this article we spoke with a number of thought leaders and innovators in this area, and they explained to us why they feel this is such an exciting time for gamification in learning and how they believe it’s set to revolutionise education in the coming years.
The psychology behind gamification is fascinating. As referenced in Gabe Zichermann’s book ‘Gamification by Design’, it’s believed that gamification is ‘75% psychology and 25% technology’ - meaning that gamification taps into something inherent in us all. Research shows that when we participate in activities that we find rewarding and fun endorphins are released. So when we engage with gamified learning and we achieve rewards, this stimulates the release of endorphins and in turn creates an environment where we feel calm, which allows us to retain information better. The endorphins not only make us feel good but they also provide us with a sense of excitement and so the learning experience becomes one that we want to repeat again and again. This motivates us to continue to use the application and, before we know it, we are actually learning various, sometimes complex subject matters with ease.
It’s also been said that the psychology of games means that failure in a gamified setting does not have the same negative connotations as, for example, the failure of a maths test in a classroom – therefore games instil a feeling of positivity, and in turn provide the learner with more confidence and peace of mind.
Dr. Helen Williams, a Creative Digital Media lecturer at Technological University Dublin can strongly attest to the benefits. Helen has been using gamified methods and applications in teaching for many years now, and she believes it to be highly effective. Helen says “Games are obviously already hugely prevalent in society and when applied to the classroom and e-learning we see great engagement with our students. In my experience it makes learning more immersive – there is an intrinsic sense of achievement and fun, and it provides students with a safe space where they experiment with consequences without having to worry about failure. This in turn leads to greater retention of information and supports their overall learning experience.”
Helen also believes that the proactive control and instant feedback offered by gamified learning is another important advantage. Students can take on challenges and immediately see their progress; users know what they’ve learned and, more importantly, what they haven’t. Game elements such as leader boards and badges provide incentives for many students, and such extrinsic motivations can be used to drive an intrinsic desire to keep learning, improving learner engagement and thus retention and recall.
Helen is such a strong advocate for gamified learning that she helped set up ‘Games to Teach’ - a community for teachers and practitioners and anyone interested in the use of gamification, playful learning, game based learning and serious learning in a higher education setting.
Helen believes we are witnessing an explosion of gamified learning and she says “It’s a hugely exciting time to be involved in the industry as gamification is getting more recognition, and it's good to see that the organisations and educational institutions using it are becoming braver.”
Linda Waters, from Learnovate strongly agrees. Learnovate is an applied research centre in Trinity College with experience in learning technology and innovation. Learnovate works with organisations – start-ups, multinationals and educational organisations – to help understand their challenges from an educational technology perspective and provides them with recommendations on solutions that will enhance their learning experience.
The pandemic has rapidly accelerated progress in the learning technology sector. Linda says “Covid-19 changed everything in the learning and gamification setting – we’ve been working on solutions for clients for years and they just weren’t ready to implement them – then, overnight they had no choice. They quickly had to diversify or they would be left behind.”
Learnovate’s objective is to help companies and organisations stay competitive and ahead of the curve. Learnovate has a multidisciplinary team who look at their client’s learning applications from the perspective of the learner, teacher and also the user experience. Linda says, “We take a holistic approach and examine each element of the learning innovation. We look at where there might be gaps and how to make the educational experience more engaging. We often recommend gamification applications because they are extremely effective in bringing content to life.”
While the concept of gamification has been around since the 1970s, gamification in learning and education is still very much in its infancy. Many organisations are already reaping the benefits, which will help to further progress academic research and provide education providers with confidence in applying it.
The continued advancement of technological innovation will have a profound impact on gamification in education, and it’s expected that new opportunities – including everything from augmented reality, virtual reality, machine learning and game worlds – hold enormous potential both for the educator and for the learners.
People will be able to use gamification to shape their skills and behaviours and, in particular, when it comes to the way in which they learn. It’s a hugely exciting time for both the education and learning technology area and we will have to watch this space to see what games lay ahead!
