Hi,
In preparation for my presentation at iMOOT conference I am looking for ways people are using gamification in Moodle, with core features, add-ons or customizations. I produced this Moodle for Motivation Guide last year which lists gamification mechanice available within Moodle. Can you add anything, or provide some examples (print screens) you would like to share?
Hi Natalie,
I'm interested in hearing others' contributions to this discussion thread so I'd like to clarify what you mean by the term gamification. In other discussions, I've noticed that a significant proportion of participants defined gamification along the lines of adding games or converting learning activities into games, usually to make them more entertaining/engaging. Personally, I'd call this edugames rather than gamification.
Do you agree with this definition or do you prefer another? If so what is it?
Also, re: "I produced this Moodle for Motivation Guide last year which lists gamification mechanice available within Moodle." -- Can you please provide a link?
Hi Matt,
The poster (based on @catspyjamasnz original Moodle Tool Guide) is available at http://bit.ly/mfm2013. It has been translated into English, French, Czech, and Catalan . Perhaps the translators could reply with links to those versions? I would like to update the poster with new add-ons and ideas so I am crowd-sourcing ideas from the Moodle Community. Anything is welcome - especially quick and easy examples to inspire other teachers.
There has been great debate about the industry definition vs common usage of the term gamification. Most Learning and Development articles I read do not yet appreciate that the industry draws a line between educational games, serious games and learning experiences that are built on game mechanics without becoming a 'full' game. (In short - if it becomes a 'game' then it is no longer gamification).As an example would you say that buying something on eBay is a game? Or would you say that buying a book on Amazon is a game? Or filling in a Linked in profile. Perhaps not, but I am sure people would recognise the use of game-like elements that make the interaction more appealing and achievable.
If I had to define gamification from an educational perspective, I would say:
From a more philosophical standpoint exactly where to draw the line between a game and game-like is impossible. Life is a game. Our sense of agency in the process is what enables us to see it that way, or merely play along unknowingly. Jane McGonigal defines four elements to a game : A goal, feedback, obstacles, and voluntary participation. In my opinion, a well defined and executed gamified experiences is a game - (which goes against the current industry definition I explained above).The time span in-between the play and the win-state also masquerades the 'game'. In business areas of HR, Industry and Health I can see that a differentiation between the two terms is useful. However, with an educational perspective I find the term 'gamification' vague and confusing. I prefer to explore the concept of 'play' as the foundation of learning. Any tools we can implement to encourage more 'play' will benefit both teachers and learners.
When discussing gamification and education it is worth thinking about implementing this at a small scale - say a four hour in-class activity that can be gamified (or a game), or converting a whole qualification as the over-arching framework into a gamified experience. Eg my kids buy games on XBOX live. Their buying experience on the XBOX live site has been 'gamified'. So too, our learners can experience gamification at both levels.