Gamification of training experience

Gamification of training experience

Gamification of training experience

By Elizaveta Ambartsumova

Abstract

“2021 is the second year of COVID-19. The pandemic changed dramatically many aspects of people's life including learning. The students' motivation has been challenged greatly by remote studies. Distractions, missed classes, lack of social interaction are some of the effects of studying from home. The magic of games is needed more than ever.The aim of this thesis project is to increase student's engagement who study experience economy related courses, and in particular, those who learn the Experience Pyramid. This is done by designing the "Experience Collage Challenge" workshop. The deliverables of the project are two presentations created for both teachers running the workshop and students participating in the experience. The design of a gamified experience is based on the knowledge and insight of theoretical frameworks and the analysis of the data gathered via qualitative research, observations, or other design methods including play-testing. The gamification experience is viewed through the lenses of the user-centered Experience Design approach, namely, the Double Diamond design process (Design Council, 2005). The theoretical foundation was created by reviewing existing literature relevant to the topic. The theoretical framework derived from integration of the gamification framework elements into Design Thinking model. To gain insights and create more empathy with the target group, qualitative research, in the form of semi-structured interviews, was carried out. Regarding product development methodology, the above-mentioned design process was used. The interview with the target group, observations, and their analysis based on the Octalysis gamification framework (Chou, 2019) showed the lack or of several types of motivational drives both intrinsic and extrinsic among the students which could be improved during an online class about Experience Pyramid Matrix. The special attention was paid to the social aspect of the experience since one of the strongest effects of pandemic is lack of social interaction. Also, the author considered the importance of reflection for Experiential Learning pedagogy. This thesis was written during 2020 and 2021, and the learning experience was created and play-tested in May of 2021. The first "Experience Collage Challenge" presentation includes the following: set-up information for teachers or workshop facilitators; the introduction to the challenge consisting of rules, point system; and the play which includes the steps for running the session. The second presentation includes an example of the individual task and instruction related to the Experience Pyramid elements created for the workshop participants.”

Reference

Ambartsumova, E. (2021). Gamification of training experience. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, 1-90. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/499237

Keyword

Gamification, design thinking, player motivation and engagement, experiential learning, research