AUSTIN, TX. - Dr. Stein Brunvand and Dr. David Hill, Associate Professors from the UM-Dearborn College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS), presented research on the gamification of learning at the 28th Society for Informational Technology in Teacher Education (SITE) annual conference held this year in Austin, Texas from March 5-9, 2017.
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| Dr. Stein Brunvand |
Dr. Brunvand and Dr. Hill have been using GradeCraft in their undergraduate courses since the 2015 winter semester to create gameful learning experiences for their students. GradeCraft is a gamified learning management system (LMS) that was created on the Ann Arbor campus.
In a gamified course, students have the freedom to choose what assignments they will complete in order to earn the points they need to “level up” to the overall grade they want. This is much like a video game environment where players earn points in order to move through the different levels of the game. In addition, in a gamified course there are locks/unlocks with different assignments and tasks that students need to complete in order to access more difficult assignments. This is also similar to a video game that requires the player to find hidden treasure, secret keys and other items in order to unlock other challenges and levels.
The use of gamified learning has increased within the educational community over the last decade in an attempt to enhance student learning in multiple ways.
In particular, researchers have started to examine gamified learning and the potential impact on student motivation and engagement within educational settings. However, few studies have examined the relationship between specific tools embedded within a LMS and student outcomes at the postsecondary level.
In a gamified course, students have the freedom to choose what assignments they will complete in order to earn the points they need to “level up” to the overall grade they want. This is much like a video game environment where players earn points in order to move through the different levels of the game. In addition, in a gamified course there are locks/unlocks with different assignments and tasks that students need to complete in order to access more difficult assignments. This is also similar to a video game that requires the player to find hidden treasure, secret keys and other items in order to unlock other challenges and levels.
The use of gamified learning has increased within the educational community over the last decade in an attempt to enhance student learning in multiple ways.
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| Dr. David Hill |
The purpose of this study conducted by Dr. Brunvand and Dr. Hill was to investigate the impact of a grade predictor tool embedded within GradeCraft on 75 college students’ ability to accurately predict their final grades. You can view their presentation slides online if you are interested in learning more about their work.
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