Instructional design that incorporates gamification elements provides an environment and opportunities for learners to begin building social capital by expanding their networks that can lead to transformational learning experiences. These types of environments might provide and educational setting to meet psychological needs of self-esteem and belonging from Maslow’s Hierarchy. The transformational process may include mastery, achievement, status and help learners feel a sense of belonging. 

Participants will learn about gamified strategies that can be integrated into instructional design and describe how gamification can take dry material and increase learning outcomes and social capital. They will receive 4 tips to gamify learning outcomes and increase social capital. 

Strategies using gamification have been used by corporations for a number of years.  Now, those same strategies are being used for engagement, feedback and data collection in industry, colleges and K-12 education. Innovative educators can benefit from industry by identifying cutting edge trends and methods for education and training and applying them college and K-12 instructional strategies (Brull & Finlayson, 2016).

Gamification is used to deliver dry content in non-game contexts using game elements and game design techniques such as feedback and challenges (Attali & Arieli-Attali, 2014; Werbach & Hunter, 2012). Engaging learners with gamification is one way to immerse learners in an environment that will help them acquire and retain knowledge in challenging content (Randel, Morris, Wet­zel, & Whitehill, 1992). Gamification provide an avenue for learners to set their own schedule and environment for learning as opposed to the traditional model for teacher delivered instruction (Kapp, 2012). Elements of fun keep learners attention. Kapp (2012) defined a game as “a system in which players engage in an abstract challenge, defined by rules, interactivity, and feedback, that results in a quantifiable outcome often eliciting an emotional reaction” (p. 23).

New generations of digital learners expect different instruction that has previously been delivered in education. They want fun learning challenges delivered in multimedia contexts available on demand. For some students, technology drives their learning and for others it does not matter as much. Learning styles and individual proficiency with innovative technology divide these groups (Guthrie, 2014). According to Malsow’s Hierarchy, learners are motivated by psychological needs for belonging and self-esteem which might be provided in an educational setting using gamification strategies. Understanding the learning styles and motivations of learners is essential for instructional design. 

Participants will learn about gamified strategies that can be integrated into instructional design and describe how gamification can take dry material and increase learning outcomes and social capital. They will receive 4 tips to gamify learning outcomes and increase social capital. 

Participants create a non-digital tool for student choice based on personal learning styles in a gamified learning environment and will use personal devices to build social capital and experience motivation through gamification.

Guthrie, C. (2014). Who are we teaching? The learning expectations of “Digital Tribes” in the Classroom. International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, 4,(2) 146-150.

Kapp, K. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training and education. San Fran­cisco, CA: Pfeifler.

Werbach, K., & Hunter, D. (2012). For the win: How game thinking can revolutionize your business. Philadelphia, PA: Wharton Digital Press.

Attali, Y., & Arieli-Attali, M. (2015). Gamification in assessment: Do points affect test performance? Computers & Education, 83, 57-63.

Randel, J.M., Morris, B.A., Wetzel, C.D., & Whitehill, B.V. (1992). The effectiveness of games for educational purposes: A review of recent research. Simulation and Gaming, 23, 261-276.

Brull S., & Finlayson S. (2016). Importance of gamification in increasing learning. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016 Aug 1;47(8):372-5. doi: 10.3928/00220124-20160715-09.

30-Minute Roundtable Session

Launching Transformative Learning