Bringing game mechanisms in the classroom
Games have become a part of our daily lives as shown by the increase of casual gaming on mobile phones. In the last decades they have been used in school in different ways and subjects (e.g. Minecraftedu.com). Could we take this a step further? This project proposes to move the debate away from should we use or not games in the classroom. Could we, instead of only bringing games into the classroom, use their characteristics to increase students’ engagement? This question is at the core of a new field of research called gamification. Gamification is “the use of game-design elements in a non-game context” (Deterding et al. 2011). In this project we want to develop a new learning tool based on game design principles and task-based teaching theories. It is not yet another educational game. This tool will be a web-based application meant to complete the teacher’s pedagogical resources. It will frame the learning situation and encourage the students to participate in more knowledge-creating activities. The three aspects at the core of this project are: student agency, collaboration between peers and use of technology.
A web-based application
This project emphasises the use of modern technology and social communication in learning. The main application will be a web-based application where students can find tasks, check their team status but also discuss and debate.
The students can access a list of different quests created beforehand by the teacher. Each quest is divided in levels and tasks. They can also access a daily and weekly list of tasks. The tasks will encourage the use of technologies (e.g. video cameras, computers) but also social networks. Each team will has its own blog, used as both an arena for debate and knowledge sharing and as a progress log. The application will also provide a stream of notifications where students and teachers can exchange messages and get informed on new blog posts or achievements.
Videos
The following videos are work in progress tools used to design the user experience.
NB! The videos start in 10- 15 seconds after pushing the play button.
The first time the students are using the digital solution.
Group work on the tasks: a competitive perspective.
Group work on the tasks: a collaborative perspective.
Funding and cooperation
The project has received funding from the Norwegian Research Council (FINNUT) and will be carried out by researchers from The department of Education (UiO) and EngageLab.
