FEATURE: GAMIFICATION
‘G Gamificcationn iss thhe app pliicattio on of the e princciplless off games – usuuallly viideo ogames – to o form malissed leaarnning g conttexxtss’ Dr Ow wen Barrden, Liv verrpo ooll Ho ope Univ verssitty into games, but it’s about applying the science of motivation to help students stay focused and motivated,” asserts Charles Wiles, CEO of learning apps company Zzish. “In fact, today’s leading games, whether it’s Candy Crush or Clash of Clans, use the science of motivation to keep players playing for longer. Setting and achieving small achievable and measurable goals and using social levers such as competition and collaboration are key drivers to motivation. These drivers are hard to apply in a normal school setting, but, when it comes to software, they become simple and natural features that drive usage, engagement and improvement.” “Gamification does not simply imply creating a game,” says Jayne Warburton, CEO, Europe and Middle East of online learning company 3P Learning. “It means making education more fun and engaging, without diminishing or undermining pedagogical credibility. It helps learners gain motivation towards studying and because of the positive feedback, they get pushed forwards and become more interested and stimulated to learn.”
IMPORTANT METRIC “Engagement is the important metric for success in gamification,” she continues.
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“Gamification is about more than making boring subjects ‘fun’, though this is a common perception. It’s more accurate to say that gamification is about engagement. It works largely by providing instant feedback, quickly rewarding even the smallest level of progress. “We know – and teachers are constantly telling us – that gamebased digital resources boost learners’ motivation, and thereby their learning, by leveraging cognitive, emotional and social needs,” she concludes. “The narrative of a game helps achieve mastery in challenging academic tasks, simultaneously invoking emotions such as pride and frustration, while also allowing learners to test out new social identities that grant them academic kudos.” Gamification, then, is about engagement and motivation; two key drivers of learning. It is, by the way, extensively used in business to achieve similar goals, which reinforces the case for gamification being applicable not just to younger children, but across the education spectrum, as Barden notes. “It’s hard to say how widespread gamification is in schools but it does appear to be a growing trend,” he says. “And it’s not just limited to schools; a growing number of university courses, for example, are employing elements of gamification because, done well, it motivates students and offers a welcome alternative to traditional, transmissive, lecture-based pedagogy.”
EMBRACING TECH For O’Kill, gamification is in many ways representative of the way in which educators are embracing technology to support and improve learning. “Schools across the UK are recognising the importance of adopting the right technology solutions today in preparation for the learning demands of tomorrow and beyond,” he states. “Although the process is still in its infancy, through our customers and partners in education, we are already seeing how growing trends in technology are beginning to shift traditional learning environments; from virtual and augmented reality and gamification, to the Internet of Things and connected devices.”
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But, as Andy Goff, founder and MD of educational technology consultancy Interactive Opportunities, points out, it’s not necessarily only about technology; gamification is possible in other ways too. “I think that every teacher employs gamification in their teaching toolbox at some point or another,” he says. “It may be paper-based, or more commonly take the form of an app on a tablet. If you consider the increase in tablet devices, I would suggest that there is considerably more gamification going on now then there was five years ago.” The most important question, of course, is whether gamification works. Anecdotally, there is widespread belief that it does.
GENERATING BUZZ “There has been lots written about the subject and the studies are, so far, very positive,” notes Hammand-Hagan. “It is certainly generating a buzz, and I believe it helps students become more engaged and enthused about learning, which will inevitably have a positive
impact on their attainment.” Warburton, however, has proof. She describes a study, undertaken by Oxford University, in which 13,000 schools were asked to assess the impact of her company’s Mathletics game on Key Stage 2 SATS results in maths. “The study concluded that schools that made regular use of Mathletics did significantly better on a range of measures, compared to schools that did not use it,” she explains. “More pupils made at least two levels of progress; more pupils achieved at least a level 4; and more pupils achieved a level 5 or 6.” A copy of the study is available at uk.mathletics.com/advantage/. It seems, then, that gamification is being successful in delivering the outcomes it promises. What, though, are the challenges that arise, and the pitfalls that need to be avoided? “For teachers, the hardest barrier is the effort to come up with the gaming element that is worth putting in front of the students,” believes Goff. He adds: “If the gamification November 2016
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