Summer 2022
(https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053)
Table of contents - Authors index - Authors' short bio
Gamification of the Learning Process
Davide Carneiro, Pilar Cáceres, Mariana Reimão Carvalho
(https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-001psi) - view paper, download
Over the past years, and especially during the pandemic, the teacher-learning relationship changed significantly, as did teaching methodologies and environments. However, one aspect that did not change was the need to keep Students motivated and engaged, ever more difficult in online environments.
In this evolving reality, gamification in the learning process gained an increased interest. This Special Issue shows, above all, the wide interest and applications of the field, and the generally positive outcomes of the use of game elements in education. However, it also highlights some of the ongoing challenges.
The Teacher is, evidently, the main responsible for identifying and overcoming these challenges. For this, it is fundamental that Teachers are able to diagnose their own knowledge and skills regarding what gamification is, and how it can be successfully implemented, bearing in mind that this is a fundamentally new way of delivering education. Such a tool is proposed in [1].
Teachers can then use a plethora of different game elements to implement their desired gamified approach to education. The implemented approach should be inclusive and cater to Students’ needs, effectively contributing towards the achievement of their life goals, as addressed in [2]. To accomplish this, a virtually endless range of different approaches can be built, in which the limit is only the imagination of the creator, ranging from Role-Playing Games [3] to Virtual or Augmented environments [4].
Interestingly enough, there have been reported advantages, namely in the development of critical thinking skills and collaboration, of also involving students in the process of creating games or learning tasks, as shown in [5] and [6]. This can be further potentiated through the use of appropriate frameworks or toolkits, as proposed in [7].
All this diversity results in opportunities for applying gamification in education in many different fields. The papers in this special issue address some of them, with examples in business [8], medicine [9], carpentry [4], and even for the training of teachers [10].
In general, the papers in this special issue agree on an overall positive effect of gamification on motivation, engagement and learning outcomes. However, according to the perceptions of Teachers and Students, this only happens when there are suitable resources, appropriate class planning, and adequate teacher training. These and other realistic remarks are analyzed in [11, 5 and 9].
We would like to thank all the authors for the effort they poured into the production of these interesting papers, and all the reviewers for their anonymous contribution towards improving the overall quality of this special issue.
References:
1. Reyes W., Pinto Sosa J., Hernández-Dzib R.: The construction and validation of a Questionnaire of Gamification Skills in Teachers (QGST), Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-001
2. Obioha C.L., van Zyl I.: Gameful design for skills development for youths in urban marginalised communities, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-002
3. Nunes E., Gavaia B., Rodrigues R., Sampaio L., Silva R.: Liber Domus: Development of a Prototype RPG for 6th Grade Mathematics and Science Learning, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-003
4. Mårell-Olsson E.: Teachers’ Perception of Gamification as a Teaching Design, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-004
5. Tanimoto S.: Three Tiers of Gamification in a College Course on Problem Solving for Global Challenges, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-005
6. Aresta M., Beça P.: Students as Game Creators. Easing the game construction process by using a toolkit to game design, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-006
7. Sen A.: Can Bloom\'s Higher Order Thinking skills be achieved by Gamified Learning through Social Networking Site (SNS) like Facebook?, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-007
8. Nikou S.A., Economides A.A., Boikou A.: Business simulation games: impact on SOLO taxonomy learning outcomes, learning performance and teamwork competency, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-008
9. Llorente-Cejudo C., Palacios Rodriguez A., Fernàndez Scagliusi V.: Learning landscapes and educational Breakout for the development of digital skills of teachers in training, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-009
10. Silva F., Ramos J., Analide C.: Applications of Virtual and Augmented Reality for Practical Application Learning with Gamification Elements,Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-010
11. Sáez-López J.M. , Vázquez-Cano E., Fombona J., López-Meneses E.: Gamification and gaming proposals, teachers’ perceptions and practices in Primary Education, Interaction design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, pp. ...--... (2022), https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-011