How to Make Online Classes Engaging through Gamification

We love constructing worlds in Minecraft and trading monsters in Pokemon. We love to struggle with defiance in Dark Souls 3 and rally the troops in Clash of Clans. The Generation loves games. Games excite people by driving their curiosity to discover something new, and when one overcomes a difficult challenge, it gives a feeling of accomplishment. Games are high-octane learning machines that encourage us to experiment, develop and learn new skills. When we utilize this gaming power to accomplish objectives outside the gaming industry, the method is called Gamification.

Gamification: is a technique where the core elements of our favorite games are applied outside traditional gaming arenas. In short, it is

"the addition of gaming elements to non-gaming activities."

If all this means that Gamification can make the mundane interesting, it can definitely get our students to love studying, wouldn't it?

Badges and levels have always been a part of games to identify the quality of stage, difficulty of skills, and the rewards collected. Every student tends to study harder if he/she feels good about it. Rewards effectively motivate students. Reward badges can be given to the students when they earn points for answering questions correctly and quickly. This method is an effortless way of tracking student growth where a level-wise badge will be awarded to acknowledge the progress. As an educational gaming website, Kahoot allows students to play multiple-choice questions. The correct and the fastest answer is rewarded with the highest score, followed by other correct but slow answers. In the end, the game acknowledges the top three students with honorable badges and mentions, along with a review of the tests taken.

Encouraging discussions can not only change the spirit of the class but also gives excellent outcomes. But a group discussion with a class of 30 can be a difficult task because of the physical proximity and the ability to receive and provide immediate feedback. The year 2020 was enough for our innovative teachers to solve this problem too. One of them has designed a discussion game that requires the students to take turns posting online on Google Classroom. The rest of the class has to answer the question under study. But every type of answer has its marking scheme, i.e. +10 points for Explanation, +20 points for Argument, +30 points for Evidence, and +40 points for Challenge.

Pacing with reading material can be stressful for the students. It solely depends on the teachers whether to drip-feed on a timely basis or give the learners complete access to the course outline at once. Gamification offers a better and engaging approach to this. As a teacher, you can draw the success of a particular learner by giving access to more advanced parts based on their progress. The learner will only go to the next module once he/she has successfully passed a concept-based test, while others can take their time to progress at their own pace. In the meantime, you can send follow-ups to students and offer help or ask for their feedback on the unsuccessful attempt.

No one can oversee the hype about gaming in the 21st century amongst students. Therefore, with Gamification, you can enhance teaching and learning and, indeed, the future of education. It can transit the fun from games to education. It improves the users' overall engagement, motivation, and retention of the activity. Holding the potential to motivate students can make students complete their tasks just readily as beating a level in Super Mario.

If they enjoy it, they will understand it; If they understand it, they will enjoy it.

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and SNAP! the job's a game."

- Mary Poppins.