dent in the previous MCP edition, was very satisfied. In all classes he had taken before, he had come away with the notion that “students cannot show the work they are doing and we must all be evaluated according to the same model, which does not reflect our individual qualities.” Daniel Sil, another student, agrees and adds: “This gamification method makes the course a bit more interesting, not only because it’s out of the ordinary, but also because it’s ‘a game’.” The format plays with individual motivation, with our competitive spirit, and stimulates collective work. And if there is “a common characteristic among IST students, that’s our competitive spirit,” which means that this format usually fits them like a glove. “We have identified four groups of students: those who are naturally unmotivated, a small minority; those who will do anything, that is, if there’s a medal they will be there; the minimalists,
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who just try to figure out the minimum amount of work they’ll have to do in order to complete the course; and the normal students, who manage their effort to get a good grade,” says Professor Joaquim Jorge. Daniel Sil and Tomás are definitely in the second group. “It’s always nice to have a leaderboard and see that our name ranks high there,” says Daniel Sil. “I think we should all have a competitive spirit, it helps us become better people because we want to improve ourselves,” Tomás Alves adds. “The level they have reached is equivalent to their official grade,” Professor Joaquim Jorge explains. Therefore, if they attain the highest level, they will not only get a 20 but also the title of “Science God”. And if for students this is as appealing as it gets, for teachers it means twice the work. “This implies considerable effort on our part, but the improvement in our teaching experience definitely pays off,” Professor Daniel Gonçalves points out. The other lecturer adds “the fact that students feel that their efforts are being recognised, a desire to evolve as teachers, and also a crazy passion for doing completely insane things”. By way of conclusion, Tomás Pereira remarks: “You just have to take a look at the students’ final grades and the course’s QUC (Course Unit Quality System) to realize this is a very successful course.” But according to his colleague, there is something more important than the results: this curricular unit helps us “learn by doing” and “learn by making mistakes.” •
VALORES PRÓPRIOS 22— 2018
DÉBORA RODRIGUES / TÉCNICO
EN a number of activities that allow students to work and develop both their hard and soft skills. The reward is proportional to the level of work: easier challenges yield fewer experience points (XP) than harder challenges, and the whole process is embedded in a dependency tree that allows each student to create their own strategies for obtaining XP. Taking online quizzes, accessing and sharing content, participating in interactive forums or actively intervening in class are just a few examples of how to score points and level up. “One of the gaming elements we wanted to keep is the possibility of trying again. In many cases, students are free to fail without any consequences” Professor Daniel Gonçalves points out. “We let them make full use of their creativity, giving them the freedom to choose the path they deem fit,” Professor Joaquim Jorge says. And how do students face this challenge? For example, Tomás Alves, a stu-
“Acho que basta olhar para as classificações finais dos alunos e QUCs da disciplina e rapidamente reparar que é uma cadeira com enorme sucesso” ~ “You just have to take a look at the students’ final grades and the course’s CUQ to realize this is a very successful course”