Why complete a course in Gamification of Learning

I recently got news that I might have to teach online for this semester, because of Covid restrictions… I choose to look at this as an opportunity to learn new skills. As I was collecting classes to take on LinkedIn Learning, I came across Gamification. I’ve been hearing about it in seminars and lectures for the past two years and wanted to learn more. I have to tell you I misunderstood a great part of it… mainly the technical aspects, which are secondary to the important motivational aspects of gamifying my lessons.

As I was taking the course, I found myself having to repeat some parts, because my mind was having tremendous aha moments and remembering where various professors used these theories… both consciously and unconsciously. For example, gamification is an extraordinary and deeply enjoyable form od formative assessment to be added to. lesson plans… it’s not just making games, competitions, and challenges out of knowledge check-ups; it’s… well, it’s making everything fun. It allows different ways to break the monotony; to break the lessons into bite-size learning experiences that offer achievable and incremental learning towards a clearly defined objective… Yes, another example of scaffolding to accomplish goals. And, did I mention it was fun?

The course also helped me see more clearly some tools I’ve overviewed but not used well… because I hadn’t established a clear objective (a reflection for many other times). Kahoot, Khan Academy, Quizlet, etc… are just a few tools that can be used for any age… I was imagining how I could use them when Teaching English and I’m trying to see how I can incorporate them into my art lessons… specifically related to art appreciation and understanding technical concepts. In a nutshell, I feel I should be using gamification to design all my formative assessment strategies… DOES THE LEARNING EVER END???

I hope not!

Course Description: Gamification is an underutilized element in instructional design, but it’s crucial to engaging today’s learners and enabling content mastery. In this course, professor, instructional game designer, and author Karl Kapp lays the foundations of the theory, provides examples of gamification in three real-world learning scenarios, and breaks down the dynamics of gamification (aka what makes games fun!): escape, collection, discovery, pattern recognition, and other risk/reward activities. Plus, learn to put the different elements of gamification—from setting goals to providing multidimensional feedback and leveling up—to work for your classroom. If you don’t have experience gaming, don’t worry. Professor Kapp focuses on gamification as a design sensibility, making the principles clear to gamers and nongamers alike.