Gamification is the process of taking something that already exists – in this case, education – and adding game mechanics to it to make it more engaging and fun. It’s no secret that traditional education methods are failing our students. They aren’t retaining information as well as they should, and they’re not engaged in the learning process. We need to find a way to keep students interested in their education, and gamification may be the answer.
We’ll discuss how virtual learning has helped us learn what engages students and helps them retain information better. We’ll then talk about how gamification can improve traditional education through increased student engagement. But before we can go into that, let’s begin by elaborating on how traditional methods of education have failed to engage students.
Why did traditional education fail to engage students?
The failures of the traditional methods of education have been well-documented. In a 2010 study, it was found that only 20% of college students felt “deeply engaged” in their classes.
A more recent study from 2016 showed that less than 40% of high school students feel engaged in their learning. It’s not hard to see why this is the case. Traditional education has remained largely unchanged for centuries, and it’s no longer effective in today’s world.
Students are used to being entertained and engaged by technology, so when they’re asked to sit in classrooms and listen to lectures, it’s no surprise that they’re not interested. What we need is a way to make education more engaging for students. We need to find a way to make them excited about learning. And that’s where gamification comes into the picture.
No customization in traditional education
In traditional education, students are often forced to learn material that is not interesting or relevant to them. They’re not given the opportunity to customize their learning experience, so they’re stuck learning things that they might not be interested in. This lack of customization is one of the main reasons why gamification is necessary for education.
When students are able to choose what they want to learn, they are more likely to be engaged in the material and subject matter. They will also be more likely to remember what they have learned because it’s something that they were always interested in from the start.
Students learn at different paces and in different ways
The traditional methods have failed to acknowledge that there are many different ways to learn and to be evaluated or examined on the knowledge you have gained. Some students are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others are kinesthetic learners.
Students learn at different paces. Some students might be able to grasp a concept quickly, while others might need more time. In traditional education, students are forced to learn at the same pace, which can be frustrating for those who need more time to grasp a concept.
Gamification takes into account the different ways that students learn and allows them to customize their learning experience accordingly. This leads to increased engagement and better information retention because students are not only interested in what they’re learning, but they’re also able to learn it in a way that works best for them.
Traditional education has failed to fully integrate with technology
Education needs to be integrated with tech. Students are using technology more and more in their everyday lives, so it only makes sense that they should be using it in their education as well. However, traditional methods of education have failed to fully integrate with technology. There are still many schools that rely on outdated methods, like lectures and textbooks.
While these methods might have been effective in the past, they’re no longer enough to keep students engaged today. Gamification has fully embraced tech. By integrating gamification into education, we can make learning more engaging for students. We can also use gamification to teach students 21st-century skills, such as problem solving and collaboration.
What’s more, gamification can be used to assess student learning in a more effective way. Traditional methods of assessment, such as exams and essays, often don’t give students the opportunity to show what they’ve learned in a real-world context. With gamification, however, students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills by playing games.
This allows for a more accurate assessment of student learning. The bottom line is that gamification is the future of education because it addresses the shortcomings of traditional education while also providing many benefits. It’s time for us to embrace gamification.
What lessons have we learned from virtual learning?
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many schools to move to a virtual learning environment, which has given us detailed insight into how students learn in an online setting. Here are some key lessons we have learned from virtual learning from the past two years;
Make students responsible for their learning
One of the most important things that we’ve learned is that students need to be given more responsibility for their own learning. In a traditional classroom, the teacher is responsible for delivering the material and ensuring that students understand it. But in an online setting, students need to be more proactive in their learning. They need to take responsibility for finding resources, asking questions, and seeking help when they don’t understand a topic.
This is a vital lesson that can be applied to gamification in education. When students are given more responsibility, they’re more likely to be engaged and motivated. They’ll also be more likely to retain the information because they’re the ones who are actively seeking it out.
Give students an element of choice
Another lesson that we’ve learned from virtual learning during the pandemic is the importance of providing students with choice. In a traditional classroom, students are often given very little choice in what they learn and how they learn it. But in an online setting, students have much more freedom to choose the resources they use and the pace at which they learn.
Giving students choice is vital because it allows them to learn in a way that works best for them. It also helps to keep them engaged. When students are given the opportunity to choose what they learn, they’re more likely to be interested in it and want to learn more.
The lessons that we’ve learned from virtual learning can be applied to gamification in education. By giving students more responsibility for their learning and providing them with choice in critical decision making, we can make gamification more engaging and effective.
How can gamification improve traditional education?
Gamification has been proven to be an effective way to engage students. In one study, it was found that students who were taught with gamified lessons showed a 12% increase in academic performance. Gamification can be used to improve education in several ways;
Increasing student engagement
Gamification can be used to increase student engagement by making learning more interactive. Using progress bars, leaderboards and badges could induce some competition among the students which can increase engagement since each of them wants to win.
Improving information retention
Adopting gamification into traditional education can also be used to improve information retention by making it easier for students to access and review material.
Customize student learning
Gamification can be used to customize student learning by allowing them to choose the pace and level of difficulty in the day-to-day learning. Students can take as long as they want to go through the difficult material and cruise through the material they find easy.
Assessing student learning
Finally, gamification can be used to assess student learning in a more effective way. Traditional methods of assessment, such as exams and essays, often don’t give students the opportunity to show what they’ve learned in a real-world context. With gamification, however, students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills through playing games.
Teaching 21st-century skills
Gamification can be used to teach 21st-century skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. All of these things are vital in today’s world and gamification is the perfect way to improve traditional education so that it meets the needs of 21st-century learners.
By increasing student engagement, we can make learning more exciting for students. Gamification can also be used to teach 21st-century skills, like problem solving and collaboration. Gamification can be used to assess student learning in a more effective way.
The bottom line is that gamification is the future of education. So how can we use gamification to improve traditional education? Let’s take a look at some examples.
How to effectively leverage gamification?
There are many ways that gamification can be leveraged. Here are just a few examples:
- Adding points, badges, and leaderboards to encourage competition and motivate students.
- Creating quests for students to complete in order to progress through the material.
- Giving students rewards for completing tasks or reaching certain milestones.
- Allowing students to choose their own avatars and customize their learning experience.
- Making lessons more interactive and engaging with games, videos, and other multimedia.
These are just a few of the ways that gamification can be used to improve education. By adding game mechanics to the learning process, we can make it more engaging for students. As a result, they’ll be more likely to retain information and stay engaged in their education.
Julius Kakwenzire is a self-confessed F1 addict. When he’s not getting emotional at the race track’s proceedings, he’s working on great fintech products at Lupiiya.
