Gamification in Higher Education: An EDUCAUSE Topic



By Nathan B. Smith

Identifying a trend that is a component of the New Media Consortium (NMC), reviewing it, and adding some extra thinking are the objectives of this debate. Looking over this website, one may develop a mentality for innovation and future-oriented thinking, which is a conscious practice.

Founded in 1992, NMC EDUCAUSE is a non-profit organization that promotes the effective use of IT in higher education. We arm our members with the information, connections, and chances to collaborate that they need to influence strategic IT choices across all levels of the higher education system. Regarding ideas and experiences, EDUCAUSE values variety and believes in the transformational potential of out-of-the-box thinking for the greater good (EDUCAUSE, n.d.).

Discussion

New learning methods, especially remote learning, can distract students at all levels: K-12 and higher education. In a presentation hosted by EDUCAUSE, Dodson (2021) questions whether or not gamification can drive increased student engagement. Gamification may boost student engagement and keep classrooms full. Learning through gamification is not a new concept. Its use dates back centuries. Wireless technologies have revitalized gamification, enabling new methods to use it for learning. Gamification may improve student engagement and generate a feeling of community in hybrid learning environments when the classroom stretches beyond physical borders. Gamification applies game design features and ideas to different situations. These variables can boost student engagement. Gamification may be used to retrieve database information, connect with consumers, or reward app users. Gamification may be used in digital learning settings to boost student engagement and comprehension. Gamification may affect behavior in a virtual context, helping establish a classroom community. Gamers understand gamification, and because virtual games are widespread, most people are comfortable with them. Gamification is also popular among government website designers. Gamification streamlines processes and makes contact with the government more pleasurable in specific settings. Gamification increases citizen involvement and government trust (Dodson, 2021).

As a graduate student of wireless communications at National University, I had a fantastic opportunity to participate in doctoral research that an adjunct professor was conducting by the name of James J. Juarez (2013). National University uses a unique undergraduate curriculum model based on students taking one course per month. These courses are taught in person or online. Some courses are offered using a hybrid environment where students meet on campus weekly, and many course materials are provided using a rich web portal. Because of the compressed nature of the courses and the need to achieve required student and faculty contact hours, classes typically occur twice per week for five hours in the evening. NU generally caters to the needs of adult learners, most of whom have full-time jobs. I managed to earn an MBA in Technology Management and an MS in Wireless Communications. The goal of the master’s program in wireless communication was to provide electrical engineering graduates with practical knowledge of industry standards in mobile communications. Several adjunct faculty were practicing engineers at companies like Qualcomm, Motorola, and Broadcom.

At the time, Dr. Juarez was researching the effectiveness of gamification in teaching information and communications technology (ICT). As part of our capstone project, we incorporated gamification to learn the basic principles of machine-to-machine communication (which has since morphed into the Internet of Things). Using our dissertation trio format, I think back to this research project regarding a problem (or opportunity), purpose, and a set of research questions using the design science research (DSR) methodology.

The six phases of the DSR process are: identifying and motivating the problem, defining the goals of a solution, designing and creating an artifact, demonstrating the solution, evaluating it, and communicating the results (Peffers et al., 2007).

The problem is that higher education students at National University tend to struggle with acquiring highly technical knowledge. In this case, the artifact would be a supposedly "serious game" that teaches pupils complex technical ideas in an entertaining setting during a highly compressed course curriculum. This study aims to determine if gamification of a highly technical topic like radio frequency propagation across a wireless channel is effective. The research questions might be:

  • What impact does gamification have on learning and evaluation in learning concepts of wireless communications?

  • How engaged are students now learning wireless communications through gamification-based assessment?

  • What proficiency have the students demonstrated in science after adopting gamification-based learning and assessment?

    (Sanmugam, 2017)

Forces influencing the adoption of gamification in higher education

The creation of ICT tools with gaming components to boost incentives for adopting new technology in teaching and learning is a current trend in e-learning. Most of the time, games have different ethical restrictions than standard e-learning programs. Considering different consequences and problems resulting from developing games and e-learning technologies together is necessary. When creating gamified e-learning systems and using gamified ICT tools in education, special attention must be given to ethical considerations. Schulz, Isabwe, & Reichert (2015) address ethical suggestions for encouraging teachers to use new technologies in their lesson plans. In order to ascertain how the ethics of games might impact instructors' duties, this study explores ethical problems inherent to the design of gamified e-learning systems and the use of gamified tools in teaching.

Conclusion

Even though gamification in education has been practiced for millennia, recent developments in wireless technology have given gamification techniques a boost that will enable even more learning. As hybrid learning environments develop, there is a rare chance to use technology to quickly and effectively power new gamification techniques. By doing this, teachers may boost student engagement while giving students more agency and fostering a feeling of community as learning transcends the conventional bounds of the physical classroom (Dodson, 2021).

 

References

Dodson, K. R. (2021, October 4). Can Gamification Drive Increased Student Engagement? EDUCAUSE Website: https://er.educause.edu/articles/sponsored/2021/10/can-gamification-drive-increased-student-engagement

EDUCAUSE. (n.d.). About Us: EDUCAUSE. EDUCAUSE Website: https://www.educause.edu/about

EDUCAUSE. (2017) 2017 Horizon Report. Austin, TX: New Media Consortium. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2017/2/2017-horizon-report


Juarez, James. J. (2013) Development of a Media Driven Online Assessment System: Improving Quality, Frequency, and Deployment of Grades and Feedback in Higher Education. (Dissertation/Thesis). Proquest Dissertations Publishing.

Peffers, K., Tuunanen, T., Rothenberger, M. A., & Chatterjee, S. (2007). A design science research methodology for information systems research. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(3), 45-77. https://doi.org.10.2753/MIS0742-1222240302

Sanmugam, M. (2017). Effects of gamification on achievement, engagement, and intrinsic motivation among students of different player traits in science learning. (Dissertation/Thesis). Proquest Dissertations Publishing.

Schulz, R., Isabwe, G. M., & Reichert, F. (2015). Ethical issues of gamified ICT tools for higher education. Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE Conference on e-Learning, e-Management, and e-Services (IC3e) (pp. 27-31). Melaka, MY: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/IC3e.2015.7403481

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