Gamification: Do Points Mean Prizes With E-learning Solutions?

When it comes to creating e-learning content, gamification is the buzzword that seems to be popping up everywhere these days

, but what exactly is it? Lots of people seem to be asking the same question but not entirely answering it, well not to my satisfaction anyway.

Is it because a lot of people are not really grasping the full concept of gaming and learning working in an integrated fashion together and not just as an extraneous addition to an e-learning platform? They believe it to be a mere add-on with very little real value in terms of actual training, often because e-learning content developers really havent understood the potential or the possibilities of the concept either.

To me, gamification is not merely incorporating a game into the basic course content as a means of light relief, or giving learners badges, points and leader boards in a gaming style reward system holding very little real value; it is about incorporating the essence of game-thinking into the way a course is written. It is using the creative thinking behind a really engaging game and translating it into relevant coursework.

The most successful computer games are more often than not, ones that do not give you the answers on a plate; they make you work for each goal, and the player may have to try several different options before they reach the next stage that allows them to carry on, but there is something built into the process of the hunt for the answers that has intrigued them enough to make them want to continue.

By translating that approach to finding information into your e-learning software, you allow learners to feel their way through the content in an organic way that leads them, as if through the jungle, to the prize in the clearing, that is understanding the message.

The added benefit to creating e-learning content in this manor, is that it is also more enjoyable to use for the learner, and as we all know, when you are enjoying learning the odds are that you will absorb and retain core facts more efficiently, more carrot less stick.

By making the learner work a little harder to find the information on offer, it is also quite likely that they will understand the process and reasoning behind the conclusions they have come to, as they will have had to use creative reasoning to reach the golden chalice that is the correct answer.

by: JessVEL

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