This month’s TOPkit Digest is brought to you by Debra Luken (Debra.Luken@ucf.edu), Instructional Designer, Center for Distributed Learning, University of Central Florida. She discusses the topic of Using Gamification to Create Engagement.

Have you wanted to encourage your faculty to add engagement and fun to a course but are not sure where to start? One way is to think about using games. This "Games vs. Gamification" video explains the difference between gamification and game-based learning.

There are a lot of things to consider when using gamification or game-based learning. Gamification is when you apply game mechanics or game elements to a course. Examples of this can be leaderboards, badges, item or resource collecting, and even competition added to a course. Game-based learning is using games in their entirety as a course activity, using the game as part of the learning process, using a specific game for a specific topic. An example would be using a trivia game based on a certain lesson in the course. These two terms can be implemented in a digital or analog form, and they are often interchanged, which can be confusing.

While this is not an all-inclusive list, these tips will help to guide you as you begin to think about adding gamification to courses.

#1 Start Small. Instead of trying to tackle and gamify an entire course, keep things simple. Start with one learning objective, topic, or subject in the course, and think about how you can add a game or game mechanic to enhance it. This will help to keep things manageable and allow you to continue to add game elements or adjust them as needed. This 7-Step Instructional Design Guide For eLearning Gamification article will show how to start with small steps

#2 Make It Relevant. Use the course content or subject matter to guide your decisions and approaches to gamification. Think about how to use the content or a chosen learning objective as part of the game and make sure these choices make sense with the course. By including the course subject matter into the “story” of a game, you make a connection between the content and the game, making it relevant to the course.

#3 Make It Accessible. However you choose to add gamification to a course, it needs to be accessible. Making sure your faculty addresses basic accessibility and Universal Design for Learning considerations will benefit everyone in the course and can be easily implemented if thought about early in the process.  The Game Accessibility Guidelines website is a great resource to reference when thinking about inclusive designs of games. Keep in mind you may need to test out several different tools and ideas to find the best approach to use.

#4 Make It An Assignment. Not sure what to add to a course or if your faculty has the time to create something on their own, consider a course activity where students create their own game based on the content. This doesn’t mean they have to create a massive online game. It can be a simple take on a popular game or game show. The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning has a great guide on Getting Started with Creative Assignments. This will allow students to use the content and create something new and fun.

Have fun with gamification! The goal is to increase engagement and enjoyment, so don’t forget to have fun with it! Remember, this is just the beginning, and is a small part of the course. Think about progress over perfection. If you add a simple game mechanic to a course, such as badging, gather feedback and see what adjustments could be made to improve the process.

A fairly simple way to add gamification to a course is to use a badge or achievement that can be earned and collected throughout the course.

Courses can be set up so badges can be earned for completing a certain set of activities, unit, or module in the course. Your faculty may have the option to integrate the badges, depending on your LMS, or they may need to use a badging platform. For a quick look at getting started with digital badges and gamification check out these resources:

Do you have an idea you'd like to kickstart but haven't found the time? Perhaps you need space to brainstorm a new project plan, development, or evaluation? 

Then join us for the free online TOPkit Hackathon Fall 2023 via Zoom. Participate individually, or in teams, and across institutions to enjoy and benefit from collaboration. The event will be three days of meeting online, less than an hour and a half per day. The event dates are November 6th and 13th with an optional check-in on the 9th.

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View references for this month's TOPkit Digest.

Bren Bedford, MNM, SFC®, Web Project Analyst, Center for Distributed Learning, University of Central Florida

Florence Williams, Ph.D., Associate Instructional Designer, Center for Distributed Learning, University of Central Florida