Using gamification at university level
Traditionally, the university education system is characterised by formalism, a formalism that has its origin in sobriety, rigour, observance of scientific norms, etc. In this context, the traditional view of the educational approach in universities is not one in which the presence and role of the playful approach is considered desirable or "academic" (for many teachers).
Fortunately, this perspective has become more flexible in recent years as more university professors become aware of the qualitative and motivational changes that gamification and gamified learning can bring to higher education.
The importance of gamification and gamified learning to the university system is also evidenced by the fact that in recent years, the attractiveness of the way education is delivered at universities has declined. The declining attractiveness of the traditional way we deliver education at universities is reflected in high dropout rates, low motivation, and low engagement to participate in academic activities, unsatisfying level of competencies who help alumni to be successful personally and professionally.
A different perspective……
“Gamification seeks to promote student participation and involvement in science teaching, resulting in students’ more significant commitment and better learning, especially for subjects requiring abstract concepts such as chemistry”
Chans, G. M., & Portuguez Castro, M. (2021). Gamification as a strategy to increase motivation and engagement in higher education chemistry students. Computers, 10(10), 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers10100132
"…gamification and game-based learning are not only areas worthy of further inquiry but may reveal a way for higher education to combat declining enrollments through the innovative use of interactive games and simulations within the classroom and the overall tertiary educational experience"
Wiggins, B. E. (2016). An overview and study on the use of games, simulations, and gamification in higher education. International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL), 6(1), 18-29. DOI: 10.4018/IJGBL.2016010102
The gamED proposals at higher education
The gamED project proposes a set of tools for higher education aimed at training those who want to use games in education:
Guidelines on how to co-create gamified contents in formal and nonformal contexts & Principles of gamifying learning processes in youth work. In terms of content, the handbook addresses and illustrates a number of aspects related to the use of gamification in youth work to build essential competencies: the benefits of using co-creation and gamification in the learning process; how to apply co-creation in gamified learning; the benefits of human-centered design as a problem-solving approach based on empathy; the principles of gamification of the learning process, how to select and develop games in the learning process based on the learning objectives.
A set of 10 thematic booklets with Gamified Learning Content (GLC) aimed to introduce, support and develop the skills of using games by professionals working with youth. These 10 GLCs are aimed at enhancing self-personal growth and the quality of the educational process to develop key competencies essential for a successful life. The competencies approached by the GLC`s are: creativity, critical thinking, diversity, empathy, sustainability, learning, mental health, and teamwork, skills that students can develop as beneficiaries of the gamED project results;
The board game represents a useful tool in the process of building the 10 competencies, but also has the potential to generate and raise awareness of the development of other competencies. It offers us the perspective of the valorisation and integration of a set of values such as generosity, respect, etc. and paves the way for the development of other interconnected skills. Also, it facilitates awareness of the importance of skills for both personal and professional life and the importance of the transfer of these competences between the two areas of our lives.
The use of games in higher education and the proposed activities included in the gamED project develops skills such as creativity, critical thinking, diversity, empathy, sustainability, learning, mental health, teamwork of values. These represent only a core set selected by us from the perspective of the project's philosophy, but those who will use the project's tools will easily find that based on these competencies, other adjacent or secondary competencies are easily and deductively fostered and developed.
Advantages
- being allowed to fail without penalty and learning from mistakes;
- learning about the importance of the learning process as a life-long integrated experience;
- being given the opportunity to explore multiple identities and experiences;
- giving students the opportunity to make changes, adapt knowledge by introducing new content in a non-stressful way;
- using experiential and reflective learning as an important tool in professional and personal development of the students;
- learning to trust others and be trustworthy;
- building courage to discover and experiment reality in a funny way;
- building awareness about one’s resources and the relance of sharing resources.
Limitations
- teachers may experience a lack of strategies able to integrate learning through play into higher education;
- limited research-based evidence on the efficiency of games in higher-education learning;
- anxiety, lack of training and support for teachers to integrate games into the curriculum or teaching methods;
- fear that students may learn especially when offered external rewards or fear that students may consider academic topics as non-important because of use of games or gamified learning.
We consider that the gamED project results may be a good opportunity for universities to shift paradigms and to become more adjusted to a new way of learning, more suitable for students, and also more responsive to the demands of present day society and the labour market.