Gamification is a technique that allows learning processes to be improved and optimized, transferring the mechanics of traditional games to an educational or professional environment . The aim is to make teaching more dynamic and to be applied in a much more effective way.
Trainers who have combined both types of education, face-to-face and online, know that both have advantages and disadvantages. The traditional format offers the possibility of interacting with students, asking them questions and inviting them to participate. But it requires a face-to-face presence that can be affected by external elements. The digital alternative is very beneficial and can help to take training plans anywhere in the world simply by having the necessary electronic elements.
Man studying at home during online courses
But is online learning really that simple and magical? Although experience has shown that it is a very useful option, it faces some drawbacks, such as the lack of interaction on the part of students, which can lead to frustration among teachers. The ease of connecting from any location and device has the disadvantage that students join a certain class simply to record their attendance, but without ensuring that the teacher is paying attention.
Main weaknesses affecting online training students
Difficulty connecting with other students and establishing synergies .
If there is no group work , aspects of collaboration between different profiles are not worked on.
Individualism encourages competition and not cooperation.
Woman in online class on gamification
What can we do to improve the student and faculty experience?
Within gamification, there are different alternatives that allow interaction with the components of an online course or activity. The concept of Smart Learning Environment is very interesting and allows the creation of environments in which students can learn. These smart learning environments require greater attention and dedication from those responsible for creating the courses, since their responsibility is to create environments in which students can develop their potential. To do this, they can start by considering the following objectives:
Need to adapt the training offer to the real needs of the students .
Enhance interpersonal communication and apply teamwork techniques to your training.
Create spaces for debate and reflection that are free , democratic and self-managed by the students themselves.
Make training even more practical by using applied gamification.
Create games and use applications that allow for easier internalization of theoretical concepts.
All of this would lead to learning that promotes active participation by students. A simple way to do this is by creating a virtual space in which students face a problem and must come up with a solution.
Gamification process
Although forums are an interesting tool for sharing information and connecting course participants, they cannot, on their own, really encourage dialogue. In this case, it would be better to use chat or real-time discussions to exchange impressions.
Problem VS Solution: How to apply the practice to the digital context?
Betting on learning based on problem solving begins with a review of the current state of the project. In order to carry out this work, analytical techniques, typical of marketing, can be used to identify areas for monitoring and improvement.
Steps to follow to develop a gamification strategy in the classroom
Review of the initial state
Setting objectives
Proposal for concrete actions
Measurement
When all the elements have been analyzed and planned, you can begin to kuwait whatsapp contact number work on a strategy using the tools that are considered most convenient in each case, such as:
Team challenges
Group puzzle solving
Question and answer games to check if the concepts have been understood.
Creation of interactive Escape Rooms that allow an immersive experience that allows participants to receive rewards while overcoming tests and challenges.
There are many free tools to support gamification in the classroom, such as Kahoot , which allows you to create trivia games to make training more dynamic.