What are some of the best practices and examples of gamification in education?

Gamification in education involves integrating game elements like points, levels, and rewards into learning activities to boost student engagement and motivation. Clear objectives, immediate feedback, and personalization are essential, alongside fostering collaboration and balancing challenge with skill level. Examples include platforms like Kahoot! for interactive quizzes, Classcraft for role-playing classroom dynamics, Duolingo for language learning, MinecraftEdu for immersive virtual environments, and Breakout EDU for collaborative problem-solving through educational escape room games.

In my experience, one shouldn't develop any gamification elements before identifying and clarifying the learning objective. Think of it as the engine that drives the entire initiative.

Observei impactos positivos ao aplicar gamifica??o na educa??o corporativa, isto é, no aprimoramento das competências dos colaboradores. Empresas acompanhadas pela nossa equipe têm alcan?ado sucesso em motivar funcionários a se engajar e completar treinamentos em vendas, opera??es e outras áreas essenciais. Os objetivos educacionais mais frequentes adotados incluem o desenvolvimento de novas habilidades, a forma??o sobre legisla??o e normas do mercado, bem como a obten??o de certifica??es técnicas. Portanto, ao considerar gamifica??o para capacita??o de colaboradores, essas metas podem ser um bom ponto de partida.

Gamification in education is an effective strategy to engage students and enhance learning outcomes. One best practice is aligning gamified elements with clear learning objectives and outcomes. For instance, in a language learning app, earning points or badges could correspond to mastering vocabulary or grammar concepts. Another example is using progression systems where students advance through levels as they demonstrate understanding and competence in specific skills

Quando crio um projeto de gamifica??o para a área educacional, o ponto de partida sempre é a intencionalidade pedagógica. Isso n?o quer dizer um conteúdo curricular específico, já que meu objetivo pode ser desenvolver, nos estudantes, habilidades e competências socioemocionais também. Uma vez definido qual é este objetivo, todos os demais elementos, como mecanicas, dinamicas, estética, desenvolvimento e afins partem para fazer com que consiga alcan?á-lo. No final das contas, todos os elementos de jogos de um projeto de gamifica??o est?o a servi?o da inten??o educacional.

To choose the right game mechanics you need to link them back to motivation psychology. For example, if you need your students to stop procrastinating on that important class project, then what you need is to create a sense of urgency. That sense of urgency happens when one or more of three motivators come into play: Scarcity, Unpredictability, and Loss Aversion. Once you identify that, you need to look into which game techniques are the best at promoting those types of motivation, and how easy are they to implement. There are thousands of game techniques that could suit you, but some of the most popular ones are: Countdown Timers (scarcity), Easter Eggs (unpredictability), and Streaks (loss aversion).

In educational settings, fostering skill development (make it empowering) and providing a structured path for progress and achievement (make it achievable) are vital. This is often achieved through "Skill Trees," which guide and track a learner's journey. Each level in the Skill Tree must be completed to access subsequent ones. As learners advance, they acquire specific competencies, transitioning from foundational knowledge to more specialized skills. These trees also illustrate the dependencies between skills, such as "To unlock Skill Z, you need to have Skill Y at level 3." This approach not only structures learning but also clearly communicates to learners what new capabilities they can unlock by mastering certain skills.

Na minha experiência, a escolha correta das mecanicas de jogos a serem utilizados em um projeto educacional gamificado é a maior dificuldade dos professores. Isso acontece porque, de maneira geral, professores e pedagogos n?o conhecem muitas mecanicas, e na ansia de gamificar um processo, acabam por utilizar elementos dos poucos jogos que conhecem. Há alguns anos atendi uma escola que queria criar um projeto que promovesse a colabora??o entre os estudantes e as turmas. Entretanto, todas as mecanicas escolhidas por eles eram competitivas, e era certo que o objetivo n?o seria alcan?ado. Por isso sentamos e investimos mais umas horas de trabalho no planejamento de mecanicas mais apropriadas para o objetivo inicial.

As you choose, don't be limited by the most commonly gamification elements out there (points, badges, leaderboards).. There's so much more to gamification than just these?–?hundreds of techniques in fact. And they all fit within 8 core drives of gamification: Meaning, Accomplishment, Social Influence, Unpredictability, Avoidance, Scarcity, Ownership & Accomplishment. Take a look at Yu-kai Chou's work for more on this, including a breakdown of every technique that's been discovered and named so far. Not every technique makes sense for your purpose and your audience. Choose wisely!

One thing I found helpful is to make the first step, ask, make the elicitation/the audit if needed, to identify what resources you have (might be an audit for an educational institution or a simple elicitation of the students' needs for a gamified lesson plan or any other activity). Understand the needs, the gaps, envision competitive advantages you can build through the gamified mechanics and dynamics, the critical engagement of the messes, the advocacy and retention and the levels of fun. These dynamics and mechanics are the sine qua non for any gamification design. And, in Education, it shapes the learning experience of any "player".

When you design for the objective, you'll soon realize that points, badges and leaderboard aren't going to cut it. Your well-defined objective will push you to design game elements that actually engage learners in meaningful ways that align to the initiative's purpose.

A transforma??o de um conteúdo por meio da gamifica??o como estratégia de aprendizagem ou do conteúdo. Equilibrar o objetivo de aprendizagem com os motivadores do público é a chave de direcionar a experiência de aprendizagem para ser mais engajadora. Utilizar diferentes estímulos, mesclar mecanicas e experimenta??o com observa??o, teoriza??o e prática para abarcar os perfis de aprendizagem também. A curiosidade, a surpresa no compartilhamento de conteúdos e o efeito uau s?o b?nus para gerar engajamento.

Empowering Education Through Story-Driven Gamification In education, meaningful gamification goes beyond points and badges; it’s about storytelling where students create and develop characters tied to the subject matter. Drawing from the "Epic Meaning" concept in the Octalysis Framework, but focusing on narrative, students become the heroes of their own learning journeys. This approach not only engages but also fosters intrinsic motivation. By blending extrinsic rewards with personal stories, we can inspire deeper, lasting educational experiences

There are 8 types of motivation. If you check most of them, you will have a balanced and engaging experience. They are: 1. Epic Meaning: The drive to become part of something bigger than ourselves. 2. Accomplishment: The drive to level up, improve, and achieve mastery. 3. Empowerment: The drive to use one’s creativity and adjusting through feedback. 4. Ownership: The drive to collect, accumulate, and organize. 5. Social Influence: The drive to collaborate, compete, and express social appreciation. 6. Scarcity: The drive to obsess over what we see but cannot have. 7. Unpredictability: The drive to crave what is unpredictable and new. 8. Avoidance: The drive to avoid what is undesirable or potentially harmful.

One thing I found helpful is: Define learning goals and tie gamification elements to them. Use tools like progress bars or badges to let students see their advancement. Create interactive quizzes and challenges with instant feedback. Foster teamwork with group challenges and friendly competition with leaderboards. Tailor learning experiences to individual needs using adaptive platforms. Use narratives to make learning more immersive and engaging. Connect lessons to practical scenarios to show relevance. Design activities that appeal to students' natural curiosity and desire for mastery. Allow students to interact with peers through forums or collaborative projects. Encourage self-assessment and goal-setting to track progress.

Be willing to experiment. This means set the expectations correctly with your stakeholders so they too know that implementing gamification into any environment is experimental. This also means you'll have some hits and misses along the way. You'll learn from each of them and tweak your game accordingly.

Ensure you have methods in place to track user behavior and perceptions within the gamified system, including the game itself and their gameplay experiences (such as positive emotional reactions, changes in learners' performance, and usage time). This will allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of your gamification strategy and determine if it aligns with the expected outcomes.

Once the gamification elements are in place, implementation must be smooth, with room for continuous evaluation. Monitor how students respond to the gamified system, measuring both engagement and learning outcomes. Adjust the game mechanics as needed to ensure that students remain motivated while also achieving the desired educational outcomes. Feedback from students can also provide insights into which parts of the system are working and which need tweaking.

Design: Choose game elements that match educational goals. Integration: Integrate gamification into the learning environment. Training: Train educators and students on using the system. Monitoring: Track student engagement and progress. Assessment: Evaluate the strategy's effectiveness. Improvement: Adjust the strategy based on assessment results and feedback.

I started using simple games in my class years ago and through using student surveys, was able to evolve the class into a fully multiplayer classroom using XP, badges, leveling up, side quests, and a story-based structure in my college-level course

Today, there are so many examples of good gamification in the industry. You're one short Google search away from finding success stories. Learn from what has worked for various designers and bring a version of that to your context. Feel free to ask me specific question about the games I've designed: Superhero Within to gamify content based learning and Evivve to gamify facilitated learning experiences.

Gamification in education thrives on engagement and interactive learning experiences. A great example is 'Kahoot!,' which turns quizzes into lively competitions, fostering student participation and knowledge retention. Another best practice is 'Duolingo,' gamifying language learning through challenges and rewards. Additionally, 'Motivarnos.com' elevate assessments with features like trivias, badges, and image uploading, making the learning experience more fun, collaborative, and engaging. These examples showcase the power of gamification in making education both effective and enjoyable. #Gamification #Education

A gamifica??o na aprendizagem é o maior celeiro de práticas e ideias. O que precisamos considerar é pensar a gamifica??o de forma estratégica para gerar curiosidade, senso prático de utiliza??o do conteúdo e envolvimento na jornada de aprendizagem. As trilhas gamificadas s?o exemplos muito difundidos nos últimos anos, mas somente criar uma estrutura gamificada n?o garante o envolvimento e aprendizado genuíno, pois pode gerar a motiva??o de conquista e competi??o. Prefira trilhas gamificadas que alternem desafios e mecanicas, trazendo experimenta??o, intera??o e compartilhamento ao universo dos conteúdos.

I have been working on BLUERABBIT for over 10 years. We use XP to level up the users, Coins for transactions in the item shop or purchase challenge attempts and Energy points to add difficulty to certain attempts at our branching scenarios or recover a bit of cash after some failed challenges. Greater examples on gamification of education can be found with the winners of Gamicon's Throwdown where dozens of experts have brought their projects to show the effectiveness of gamification in the education of professionals. Khan Academy is also a great example and Class Dojo also rocks.

I've implemented various models of gamified design in EdTech, ranging from front-ends to centralized and decentralized apps. Here are some successful examples of others: Kahoot!: Engages students with interactive quizzes and leaderboards. Classcraft: Gamifies learning by assigning students roles and rewards for positive behavior. Duolingo: Utilizes game mechanics for language learning, like leveling up and rewards. Prodigy: Offers math practice in a fantasy world, adapting to individual student needs. Minecraft: Education Edition: Uses the popular game to teach various subjects, promoting collaboration and problem-solving.

Education often pales in comparison to the excitement of partying with friends, scrolling through TikTok, or playing Fortnite. Obtaining a certificate isn't enough to captivate people's interest. In my opinion, the key to ensuring that learners not only enjoy the content but also genuinely absorb the knowledge lies in adopting an INTRINSIC approach. You need 3 things: - Encouraging creativity, allowing learners to express and apply their ideas freely. - Integrating social elements and mechanisms that promote collaboration among participants. - Making the learning process intriguing by connecting the content with interests already familiar to the students, thereby sparking their curiosity and desire to explore further.

Most gamification frameworks and processes focus on rules, objectives, and game elements, overlooking the most important aspect: IMMERSION. The concept 'magic circle' is key: the psychological (and sometimes physical) safe space, distinct from reality, where new rules apply, and people (now players) can experiment with roles. Start from that for truly engaging experiences, especially in the context of learning.

Entendo que as plataformas gamificadas de aprendizagem precisam ser mais flexíveis, para que possamos incluir mais experiências do que elementos de jogos. Combinar experimenta??o ou desafios práticos entre sess?es teóricas ou de quiz, incentivar a comunidade como forma de aprendizagem de pares e intera??es que geram maior engajamento no processo de aprendizagem. Em minha experiência uma sess?o assíncrona com uma síncrona prática, com dinamica ou cases faz uma enorme diferen?a na aprendizagem.

I'm a big fan of collaborative gaming in the classroom over peer-to-peer competition. So all of the gamification elements I use are meant to foster cooperative play and get them to work together towards a common goal of 'finishing the game' i.e. mastering the required skills.