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Concentration and attention can make a huge difference in your learning process. Gamification is a way to boost productivity while also enhancing the fun and enjoyment of learning. Gamification in learning introduces objectives, interaction, feedback, problem-solving, competition, narrative, and enjoyable learning environments. This helps students boost their engagement and maintain motivation. However, you might wonder what is gamification and what are the benefits of gamification in learning. This blog of All Assignment Help is just intended to make you familiar with how game-based learning can enhance your learning experience.
What Is Gamification in Learning?
The concept behind gamification for learning is to use gaming strategies to achieve academic objectives by utilizing both internal and external motivating factors. These can have components like leaderboards, coins, or points as rewards, level progression, badges, and friendly peer competition.
Gamification is the term that stands for the use of game elements and tactics in a non-game context. It means adding game elements to a field or transforming the entity of concern into a game.
When it comes to education, gamification is used to break down the activities, processes, lesson plans, and concepts into a fun format. Elements like scoring points, reaching the next level, acquiring currency, etc. are used to achieve improved learning outcomes through all things fun and games.
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The Psychological Aspects of Gamification in Learning
The psychology of gamified learning is what makes it so successful. Let’s explore the science underlying how gamification improves motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes.
Intrinsic Motivation
The concept of intrinsic motivation is one of the main components of gamified learning. It speaks of the motivation and pleasure that come from learning on an internal level. Gamified learning uses this intrinsic motivation and increases learners’ engagement and willingness to learn by introducing enjoyable game elements like challenges, rewards, and progression.
Quick Response and Encouragement
The instant feedback and encouragement that gamified learning offers to students makes it even more effective. Instant feedback on performance is provided to learners through attractive graphics, games, and animations. This reinforces positive behavior and clears up misconceptions. This feedback loop makes students confident. Furthermore, this also motivates them to take chances and pursue ongoing development.
Control and Independence
The psychological benefit of gamified learning also includes the development of a sense of control and autonomy. Students feel more in control of their learning process when given options and freedom to study. They feel more motivated when they have more freedom to choose how they want to learn and grow.
The Theory of Cognitive Load
The concept of cognitive load theory is incorporated into gamification strategies for learning. According to this theory, the majority of individuals have a finite amount of information processing capacity. Gamified learning lowers cognitive load and improves student comprehension and retention of the content by dissecting difficult ideas into smaller, more digestible portions.
The ‘Zeigarnik Effect’
The “Zeigarnik effect” is a psychological phenomenon that is utilized in gamification for learning purposes. According to this effect, individuals usually recall unfinished tasks more vividly than finished ones. Gamified learning creates a sense of unfinished business by organizing learning activities as quests, missions, or quizzes with multiple stages. However. this keeps learners motivated and engaged to finish their journey.
Why is Gamification Used in Education?
Gamification as a learning tool is one of the most effective approaches to help students meet their academic objectives. It can change ordinary learning environments and create realistic inspiring, and engaging learning experiences for students. Here are the reasons why it is widely used in education nowadays:
- Gamification in learning aims to transform the learning process into a fun element. It is scientifically proven to yield effective learning outcomes. It releases a hormone called endorphin that is produced by our brain when it is stimulated.
- Learners learn better when they are completely engaged in what they are learning. Just like every adult is enthralled by his or her favorite movies, children are excited to play games.
- Students will be more inclined towards playing a game than sitting and studying. Gamification targets the soft spot of children and at the same time imparts education to them.
- There is also a constant burden of homework on students. In such situations, they seek online assignment help to ease their burden. Gamification also acts as a stress reliever in such cases.
- • Gamified learning makes use of smartly designed tools that monitor the progress of every child. The learning-based games are designed in a manner that tracks the performance of students.
Some Gamified Learning Platforms to Use for Your Learning
This concept is not new, even though it has been a part of modern education for a while. Now let’s look at some effective gamification learning platforms that you can use to improvise your learning process:
Duolingo
This app for learning languages is an ideal example of gamification in learning. Their usage of gamification strategies for learning is evident given their global user base of over 500 million.
Duolingo uses several kinds of gamification strategies, such as leaderboards, badges, streaks, and levels, to effectively keep users interested. Users are left wanting more progress because of all these features. Furthermore, it creates a very game-like experience. It’s a fantastic example of how to use a virtual scenario to facilitate learning.
Minecraft
Even though the word “Minecraft” may not immediately bring images of learning. However, it has developed into an extremely effective learning tool.
The purpose of Minecraft Education Edition was to cater to the needs of teachers and students. Through this gamified learning platform, educators and students can collaborate in a synchronous setting. It’s a fine example of teaching with techniques that kids can relate to. Although it can help with other subjects as well, the game is especially useful for teaching students how to code.
Classcraft
This is one of the few gamified learning platforms that is solely focused on using gamification to increase motivation in the classroom. Students can design their customizable avatar with various powers in Classcraft.
Teamwork is essential for this learning platform. Thus, students are asked to work together to achieve their objectives. Students who perform well can win prizes in the game, which has its currency. However, you can use points to get trainable pets or to unlock new avatar outfits for your avatar. Classcraft introduces a genuine video game experience into the classroom.
Determining how gamification might benefit your learning is a different matter entirely from defining it. You might find incorporating it into your learning interesting. Still, you might fail to get the most out of it which can ultimately affect when it comes to writing assignments. This might lead you to ask an expert, can you do my assignment for me? This is why it is suggested that you should use it in a way that gives you the most out of your learning.
Techniques For Implementing Gamification in Learning
While we have learnt a lot about game-based learning till now, let’s cater for another important question. “How can we execute gamification in learning”? Let us dig deep into some super-effective gamification strategies for learning to implement them in teaching pedagogy.
Award Points For All Achievements
The educator must list down the various learning outcomes expected of the students. Apart from learning outcomes, co-curricular accomplishments can also be listed. The teacher should closely analyze the performance of each child. The child should be awarded for every small task completed or an impressive code of conduct. From completing the homework to being regular, this could be anything. This can be done every month. At the end of each month, the teacher can accumulate the game points for students. The child with the maximum points in that month can be awarded a small token of appreciation. A small bar of chocolate, a badge, a book, etc. are some good options.
Establish Obstacles for Progression Levels
Gamification works on the competitive instinct of the players. In an online game, there must be various virtual barriers, levels, and obstacles. The students will be required to surpass these barriers to progress to the next levels or score more. Each correct answer will add value to their achievement and they can unlock the next phase of learning. In an offline setting, the teacher can innovatively instill barriers. For instance, she or he can become a barrier themselves. They can set certain criteria that will reward students with rewards such as an extra free period, a bonus in attendance, and so on.
Theme Based Gamification
Theme-based learning implies that students are assigned certain roles. The hypothetical roles could be those of a doctor, teacher, nurse, shopkeeper, etc. When students assume these roles in both online and traditional learning, the results are fruitful. Students feel a sense of responsibility and ownership. They utilize their critical thinking and analytical skills to the best of their abilities. Moreover, this is also a practical approach that comes with gamification.
Track Progress Regularly
The teacher must maintain a progress report of students even for game-based learning. While proper analysis is done for pen-paper learning, it is equally crucial for gamification. This is so because it will help to understand whether gamified learning is helping in that domain or not. The necessary changes can be made if needed.
Benefits of Gamification in Learning
Gamification in learning has several benefits. From keeping students engaged in the learning process to helping them in improving their concentration. Game-based learning has truly revolutionized the way students learn and grasp knowledge.
There are many more benefits of game-based learning, some of these are
Developing the Cognitive Abilities of an Adolescent
Using the model of game-based learning in helping with cognitive development will allow an increment in the activity of the various regions of the brain that helps in the adequate development of the brain. Games that are ingrained in the learning methodologies are often called ‘brain games’ that expedite the process of developing the cognitive abilities of the student.
Increase the Engagement of Students
There have been several types of research that have tested the engagement rate of the students in both the game-based learning scenario and the traditional way of learning scenario. The results of the study were astounding. The researchers declared that the level of engagement in the gamification in learning scenarios is exponential as compared to the traditional way.
Help Students in Better Learning
Including gaming elements in the traditional way of learning helps in expediting the learning process. Moreover, it has been tried and tested, that adding gaming elements while teaching in a classroom, has helped students with autism learn and grasp better. Game-based learning made learning faster and better in the classrooms.
Enhance the Range of Online Learning
Game-based learning is not just limited to enhancing the experience in the classroom it goes great and is quite compatible with online learning as well. Through the online mode of learning, gamification of the course module could be done in a variety of ways. From having a leaderboard to providing badges. Online learning could be made fun and engaging through the model of gamification.
However, gamification in online learning can seem tough for many students. This problem can be easily solved simply by asking an expert, can you take my online class for me? The expert will take your class online and help you with the strategies to make you most of your online classes using games.
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Some Successful Examples of Gamification in Learning
Listed below are a few instances of gamified learning:
Gamified Quizzes
Students often discover timed quizzes to be stressful. Add gamification elements to online timed quizzes, such as star ratings, bonuses, badges, and rewards, in addition to standard point scoring, to make them more interesting and enjoyable.
Monitor Individualized Performance
One way to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses is to monitor and evaluate their performance. It is also possible for the students to evaluate their learning as it will encourage them to keep going to reach their objectives.
Scenario-Based Scenarios
By presenting typical workplace scenarios as a puzzle, teachers can shift students’ focus from rote memorization to curiosity and give them immediate feedback.
Giving Special Awards
A teacher can design several special rewards for various student groups, rather than giving points for each task completed.
However, teachers can also organize online exams in between the session to boost students learning and skills. Students can also go for online exam help services if they find it difficult to take their exams on their own. Online exams are the best way to help student retain their subjective knowledge.
Final Thoughts!
Gamification in learning has been one of the greatest developments in education so far. With the onset of the pandemic, the education sector has undergone many changes and developments, and game-based learning is one of them. Hence, we can say that the future of gamification in learning is vast and ongoing.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say, that the world is ready to see more advancements in learning, and game-based learning is the right direction to move.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question: How is Learning Gamified? Answer: Learning could be gamified in a variety of ways. From adding avatars to every student’s profile to assigning scores and maintaining leaderboards, it also has levels and badges for crossing each level. Learning is gamified in a similar fashion as video games are, just the task of activity is more learning-oriented and helps students in being more focused. |
| Question: Are there any tips for making students concentrate more on their studies? Answer: Well! One tip is to make studies fun, and that’s exactly what game-based learning aims to do. If you have trouble making the students concentrate, then game-based learning is the right thing for you. It helps the students in increasing their concentration in their studies, by making the experience of learning more interactive and fun. |