Why games light up your hippocampus and exams do not

Presenter: Natalie DenmeadeMoodleMoot AU 2013

The Moodle

Gradebook makes me

feel like getting on a

hippo and riding off

into the sunset

The Hippocampus?http://blog.superbetter.com/show-me-the-science-resilience-games-post-traumatic-growth-and-more/

The hippocampus is the part of our brain used when committing something to long term memory

“

What lights up your hippocampus?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzLjXF--G1w

The more the hippocampus is lit up the more likely we are to repeat a new behaviour … 400% improvements in long term behaviour change.

Jane McGonigal

“

What can we borrow from games?

In t

he fl

ow

Build resilience by balancing positive and negative emotions

A feeling of continuous progression

Clear goals, rules, feedback and choices

Use extrinsic motivation to build intrinsic motivation

Offer status, access, power and stuff - in that order

Digital Games Boost Test Scores

Negative vs Positive emotions http://www.mrtoledano.com/gamers/04

JoyReliefLove

Surprise pride

Curiosityexcitement

awe/wonder contentment

creativity.

A feeling of continuous progression

What is a game?

When you strip away the genre differences and the technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.

Jane McGonigal, Reality is Broken

http://janemcgonigal.com/my-book/

100 billion angry birds have been hurled 200 million minutes

every day

10 million Minecrafters241,920,000 logins per month1,000 logins per hour2,000,000,000 downloads

“

Four Common Elements

Element Angry Birds

Tetris Linked In(a non-game example)

Goals Kill Pigs Fill an entire row Online Resume - join discussions

Rules Have to fling the birds in the right direction

Within the time given turn the blocks to build up rows

Only members can see. Try to connect to as many people as possible

Feedback Pigs die (audio/animation)

Points, Score, Game ends when top is reached

Progress Bar Leaderboard – Most popular discussion

Voluntary Participation

Choose your level of achievement within each level

Choose to beat your own score e.g. 12,000 points

Optional subscription to discussions

Four Elements – applied in LMS

Element Course Core Moodle LMS

Moodle Plugins

Goals What activities do I have to do? (Elements of Competence)

• Mark as complete Check boxes

• Gradebook

Progress Bar

Rules/Challenges/Obstacles

When are they due? How can I submit my work? (Assignments)

• Due Dates (My Home)• Lesson• Groups

Collapsed Topic course format

Feedback Did I meet the standard? Am I finished yet? (Gradebook)

• Completion Block• Gradebook, Scales• Permissions• Badges Moodle 2.5

Moo Profile

Voluntary Participation

Self-directed, self-assessment, self- paced (RPL)

• Groups• Conditional Activities• Lesson pathways• Flexible Rubrics

Self enrol groups based on choice

Moodle for Motivation Guidehttp://bit.ly/106ZMmV

a) I will give a Moodle for Motivation Guide poster to anyone who tweets a question @moodlemuse

b) What questions do you have about gamification and education?

c) I bet you can't ask me a question about gamification that I can't answer!

d) I will feel really sad if no-one asks any questions about gamification :(

Which statement most motivates you?

It's not what you do, but why you do it

World

Interacting

Pla

yersActing

Bartle Player Types

Explorers

Players like interacting with the environment. They try to find out as much as they can about the world around them.

Socialisers

Players like interacting. They use communicative facilities as a context in which to interact with their fellow players.

Killers

Players like acting on other players. They are Politicians. They kill with kindness (Mother Hen) or unkindness (tease, heckle). They like to dominate. 

Achievers

Players like acting in the environment to be successful. They give themselves game-related goals, and vigorously set out to achieve them.

World

Interacting

Pla

yers

Acting

Journals

Killer

SocialiserExplorer

Achiever

Which assessment method LEAST suits each player type? Learners will disengage if they can not adapt to the assessment method

http://bit.ly/bartlex Take a 3 question quiz

Debates

Essays

Quiz - Multiple choice

JournalsEssays

Peer Assessment

Role Play

Essays

Essays

Journals

World

Interacting

Pla

yers

Acting

Lesson - Interactice branched learning

Quiz - Multiple choice

Discussion Forums

Killer

Socialiser Explorer

Achiever

Which assessment method BEST suits each player type?

http://bit.ly/bartlex Take a 3 question quiz

Debates

Lesson – Interactice branched learning

DebatesPractical

Lesson - Interactice branched learning

Quiz - Multiple choice

Initial Survey analysis

Disclaimer:

• Not everyone likes taking surveys – need to broaden the sample population and survey method. At least this brief survey has shown that Bartle’s Player types are relevant to assessment methods.

Surprises so far:• Quizzes made it to the list of most

motivating, despite their bad reputation as ‘traditional’

• Essays are journals are strongly disliked across the board

Essays and Journals

Quiz

Debat

es

Rolep

lay

Peer

Ass

essm

ent

Essa

y

Foru

m D

iscus

sion

s

ePor

tfolio

Jour

nal

Prac

tical

Branc

hing

Pat

hway

s

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18 Least Motivating Assessment Types

Socializer

Explorer

Achiever

http://bit.ly/bartlex

Please note this survey is a work in progress - DRAFT ONLY

Quizzes, Interactive Branched Lessons & Practical

Quiz

Debat

es

Rolep

lay

Peer

Ass

essm

ent

Essa

y

Foru

m D

iscus

sion

s

ePor

tfolio

Jour

nal

Prac

tical

Branc

hing

Pat

hway

s

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14 Most Motivating Assessment TypesSocializer

Explorer

Achiever

http://bit.ly/bartlex

Please note this survey is a work in progress - DRAFT ONLY

Course planning starts with the gradebook

The gradebook tells your learners what the goal and standards are and how they are progressing toward that goal.

www.klevar.com

Focus on the back-end first“

Why your totals are not working

• Scales MUST go from lowest to highest (DCBA)

• Match a three level scale in assignments with a three level scale in total (or four, or five, …just make sure they have the same number of levels)

So … I tried to

convince him that the

Moodle Gradebook is

just not ‘logical’

Quick tips for non-maths fans

• Hide what you don’t need (Categories and items > select the eye icon)

• Ask Admin to set site level for your needs (e.g. hide email)

• Customise ‘Letters’ or Scales within your course to use the words you prefer – e.g. Satisfactory/ Excellent

• VET Tip - Use LOWEST GRADEto calculate totals

So… I tried to

convince him that the

Moodle Gradebook is

just not ‘logical’

For the Math fans

• Every grade is converted into percentages - show real (% ) until it becomes clearer

• Set up grade categories for flexible totals

__________________ Apprentice < 90%

__________________ Novice < 70%

_________________ Observer < 20 %

__________________ Master < 100%

Letters use unequal divisionsScales use equal divisions

Rubrics and Custom Scales

• In Rubrics your score out of the maximum possible result is converted into a percentage e.g. 18/24 75%

• Use scales or letters to show if these scores are acceptable to pass

• Make a custom scale and use your own names e.g. Observer (0-33%) Novice (33-66%) Master (66-100%)

Gamification Custom Scale with four levels

• Level Four (75-100%)

• Level Three (50 -75%)

• Level Two (25-50%)

• Level One (0-25%)

Demo courses in gamificationhttp://www.md.moojoo.com.au/

– Moodle Gradebook configuration

– Custom scales– Progress Bar with stars

download customised version

– Collapsed topic multi-column layout

– Group self-selection – Profile Block

Social >Explore >Achieve

Make it social, make it meaningful and give people some freedom. Then, integrate a well thought out reward system (points, badges e.t.c).

 activity. 

‘For the Win’ Kevin Werbach http://marczewski.me.uk/user-types/

“

Pitfalls of Gamification Design

The introduction of carefully selected extrinsic rewards, built around a design that speaks to intrinsic motivational states (sometimes not the ones most closely aligned with the behaviour we seek to change), is the most powerful design model we have today.

Status – we do it because other people will think we’re cool

Access – to something special that other people don’t have

Power – able to do certain things

Stuff – tangible rewards: Awards,

Badges, Certificates, Virtual Goods, Points,

Levels, Scores

http://www.gamification.co/2011/10/27/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation-in-gamification/

Rew

ards

“

Gabe Zichermann

Summary

But real gamification lies not in the scattershot application of points (or badges, or whatever) but in the design of a learning experience that engages (and delights!) learners and helps them to see where they are going and how they are doing at any one time (feedback).

http://mozuku.edublogs.org/2013/02/08/efl-gamification-1/

“

Key points: What can we borrow from games?

In t

he fl

ow

Build resilience by balancing positive and negative emotions

A feeling of continuous progression

Clear goals, rules, feedback and choices

Use extrinsic motivation to build intrinsic motivation

Offer status, access, power and stuff - in that order

http://www.md.moojoo.com.au/

Further Information

Linked in Group“Moodle For Motivation” Share ideas and resources

Natalie Denmeade@moodlemuse natalie@moojoo.com.au

CreditsHippo artwork: Gabe Cunnett gabe@klevar.comPhotos of gamers: Mr ToledanoUnless noted all images public domain from wikimedia

www.klevar.com