Jeremiah Grabkowski, Ann Reed, and Andrew Wiss from the Meaningful Gamification Academy gave a presentation on how they built an open education resource module on how to use gamification in the classroom. This project was part of an Innovative Instruction Technology Grant. 

They began their presentation by discussing their development and design process. It followed a typical design process of analyzing the audience and developing course goals and objectives.

The team used a spreadsheet to capture their goals and objectives as they built their first prototype. They used G Suite tools to initially design their content.

A prime consideration was to make the content fun. They focused on intrinsic motivators.

The design team established a number of development goals they wanted to achieve such as developing short modules. They realized that their audience did not necessarily have time to focus on long modules. They also discovered that points and levels, don’t result in short modules.

They also wanted to break modules into sections so that experienced members could jump ahead based on their knowledge and skill level.

The team also wanted to write the modules around meaningful narratives or situations familiar to the faculty.

They developed their modules using a program called iSpring.

I thought they used humor very well as they presented their content.

The presenters pointed out that schools are games. There are points, levels, and bosses, etc. They noted that the gamification module could be used in a flipped instruction, independent learning, or a collaborative workshop. There was lots of research activity around gamification and a lot of it was interdisciplinary.

The team shared a Gamification Quick Reference Guide, which was used as part of a Conference on Meaningful Gamification.  The team also shared an article, “Unwelcome Innovation,” a critique of badging and micro-credentialing.

There were two other discussions that I really enjoyed. One was on the idea that gamification is a dirty word. Instead of using the term gamification, we should provide them with examples. I am against this idea. Gamification is an educational strategy and we should use the language of our craft rather than tricking faculty to use the principles.

The other discussion I enjoyed was based on grading. Basically, design grading schemes that are not punitive but additive. This is a strategy I use. In my classes, students never lose points. They always have an opportunity to earn more points.

This was a very enjoyable presentation. I look forward to other learning opportunities they provide. If you wish to learn more about this presentation, please ask me.

Additional Reading

• #SUNYCIT: Developing Game Based Learning for Student Engagement: MCC’s Journey from Process to Product
• #SUNYCIT Session: Gamified Digital Forensics Course Modules for Entry-level Students
• Fun and Games in the Classroom
• Game-based Learning