GAMIFICATIONIN THE

CL ASSROOMC O U R T N E Y B A R O N

T E A C H I N G A N D L E A R N I N G L I B R A R I A N

O X F O R D C O L L E G E L I B R A R Y

W H AT I S G A M I F I C AT I O N ?

Application of gaming elements to non-gaming

scenarios.

• New concept with old roots

• What makes games successful, powerful, engaging?• Apply those techniques to non-game situations

”Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome

unnecessary obstacles.”

– Bernard Suits,The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia

W H Y G A M I F Y T E A C H I N G A N D L E A R N I N G ?

Gamifying teaching and learning:

• Encourages learning and boosts motivation

• Applies to various learning styles

• Students work together and build bonds

• Fosters critical thinking, leadership, teamwork, and problem

solving

• Playing a game is satisfying

• Provides instant feedback and gratification

• Heightened sense of achievement

Successful educational games have these

characteristics:

• Clear learning objectives

• Provides intrinsic motivation & regular feedback

• Engages students

• Interactive & social

• High level of player participation

• Challenging, but low level of frustration

• Simple – complex games not better

Challenges with educational games:

• Must be tied to course content and learning outcomes

• Educational games are not voluntary

• Students need motivation (grades, points, credit)

• Require in-class time – probably won’t play in their free time

H O W D O Y O U G A M I F Y Y O U R C L A S S E S ?

Playing and creating games

Points:

• Encourage and motivate students to accomplish tasks

• Students may work harder in exchange for points – personal accomplishment or competition

• Allow instructor to provide feedback frequently, easily, and quickly

Leaderboards/Scoreboards:

• Allow students to see how they compare to their peers

• Keeps grades confidential

Digital Badges:

• Visual indicator of accomplishment or skill in a learning

environment

• Portable validation of knowledge

• Tied to online classroom (MOOC, LMS)

Kahoot!

• Free game-based response system

• Students work individually or in teams

• Timed questions – answer as quickly as possible

• Displays scoreboard between each question

• Students can use pseudonyms

• Students join with a game pin – no accounts required

Kahoot.it

Make Kahoot! work for you:

• Assess student learning, review concepts, teach new

material, facilitate classroom discussion

• Multiple correct answers can spark discussion or debate

• Formative assessment: instructor & students can spot gaps

in learning and immediately address them

• Incorporate videos and images for multimodal learning

• Use Kahoot! to introduce a new topic

G A M I F I C AT I O N AT O X F O R D & E M O R Y

Disciplinary Applications: Anthropology –Alicia DeNicola:

• Games are fascinating to cultural anthropologists – cross-cultural implications, fun but also serious, appeal to both kids and adults

• Anth 101: students make their own games based on Trobriand Islands culture, specifically the economic and kinship systems

• Students think critically about rules that guide behavior and practice in life and culture

• Anth 353: Students play Settlers of Catan in class

• Simplified barter system, connects goods to culture and worth, win by getting more resources

• Students think about success and the ideology of growth

• Systems and culture are constructed

What did the students learn from this project?

• “It breaks down the ‘my culture is the best’ mentality”

• “It makes you look at how you live life… you question why you do things the way you do”

• “How different cultures connect through trading and giving or receiving gifts”

• “I questioned our contemporary notion of kinship”

• “It makes me question why our society doesn’t give... we focus on ourselves our goals, our gains, our achievements”

• “I realized my success in life should be more focused on my friendships and connections <as opposed to objects>”

Gamification at Emory – David Morgen:

• Project Manager of Domain of One’s Own and Coordinator of the Emory Writing Program

• Eng 181: Read | Write | Play course

• Students study the cultural and narrative significance of video games

• Gamifies the course with badges and points

• Uses gaming terminology (assignments – “quests”)

• Students produce a podcast series on games and gaming

• Roleplaying: each student takes a turn as Producer and Assistant Producer for one episode

Reacting to the Past:

• Program housed at Barnard College of Columbia University

• Role playing games based on historical events and classic texts

• Sessions run by students with instructors as advisors

• Students devise their own course of action to win the game and

change the course of history

• Transcends disciplinary structures

Virtual Reality

GAMIFICATIONRESOURCES