Impact of Gamification on Student Motivation and Success - Insights Gained from Freshman and Junior Level Technical Courses

Impact of Gamification on Student Motivation and Success - Insights Gained from Freshman and Junior Level Technical Courses

Impact of Gamification on Student Motivation and Success - Insights Gained from Freshman and Junior Level Technical Courses

By Alicia Baumann and Haolin Zhu

Abstract

“This paper describes the implementation of gamification in two technical courses, a freshman level Digital Design Fundamentals course and a junior level Principles of Mechanical Design course, at [Institution] and its impact on student motivation and success. In Spring 2021, each of these two courses was gamified by making regular course assignments and project Main Quests, offering optional tasks as Side Quests/LogicCoin Challenges for students to complete in order to earn rewards in the form of tokens (Gold or Coins), and setting up an Item Shop that students could purchase various items from using their tokens to gain small motivational benefits. The optional tasks were designed to provide students (and their peers) with opportunities to gain a better understanding of the course material, practice applying the course concepts more, and reflect on their learning and mistakes from quizzes/exams. The item shop provides the students with small benefits they can “purchase” with their collected tokens, such as Crystal Ball that when used, the student gets the opportunity to receive instructor feedback on a course project report before their final submission. A survey instrument that measures student motivation based on the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) [1-2] was administered to the consented participants in both classes at the end of the semester to assess the impact of this gamification on student motivation and success in these courses. A focus group discussion was also conducted at the end of the semester to better understand participants’ initial reactions to gamification, their motivation for participation in gamification, and their overall opinions and suggestions towards gamification and its implementation. Based on quantitative analysis of the survey responses, it was found that students mostly correlate to identified regulation in terms of motivation of participation. Different demographics were analyzed to see how motivational factors may differ, and it is concluded that all categories of students from different academic standings, to gender identity, to course level all identified with participating due to identified regulation. The exception to note between those categories was the amount of participation from lower-performing students versus high-performing students, which suggests that lower-performing students were not as motivated as other groups. Qualitative analysis of the free responses survey questions and the focus group discussions showed that students felt relief from stress and anxiety with this approach of gamification because it allowed for contingency plans when student performance was individually impacted. Students reported that the gamified features made the courses more enjoyable and helped them learn material better than traditional assessments.”

Reference

Baumann, A., & Zhu, H. (2022). ASEE peer - impact of gamification on student motivation and success ... Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://peer.asee.org/impact-of-gamification-on-student-motivation-and-success-insights-gained-from-freshman-and-junior-level-technical-courses

Keyword

Gamification, student motivation, success, technical courses, research