Gamification is still a fairly new concept in a teaching environment, be it in schools or at work. However, it is trending upwards quite rapidly. Prior to the PIDP course, I was not a fan of video games at all. Just like other naysayers of video games, I often associated video games to weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting. Furthermore, I was quick to blame video games for kids’ poor academic performance given the amount of time my niece and her friends spent playing video games. Then there was the issue of sedentary lifestyle, where there had been more overweight children due to their lack of physical activities and consumption of junk food while playing games.
Upon research on gamification, I realized that I was too quick to paint all video games with the same brush. On the contrary, the “right” digital games in schools can motivate struggling students and those special education students. Additionally, when video games align with the school curriculum, it helps to foster active learners and enrich their metacognitive skills. And with the recent innovative technology such as virtual and augmented realities, the opportunities for exploration and discovery are endless. It mimics the real-world environment in a safe environment, where the risk of failure is low and inconsequential. Below are some vital statistics supporting the arguments for digital game-based learning activities.
79% of the participants (both corporate learners and university students) said that they would be more productive and motivated if their learning environment was more like a game.
90% learners remember if they do the job themselves, even if only as a simulation
73.9% around the world are employing eLearning for workforce development
50% of all college classes will be e-learning based by 2019
Corporations are using elearning for training staff as it helps to cut operational costs by 50% to 70%
Participants in gamified eLearning experiences scored 14% higher in skill-based-knowledge assessments, 11% higher in terms of factual-knowldege, and 9% increase in retention rate.
If you have implemented a game-based learning activity in your classroom or corporate training, I would appreciate your feedback on what worked and what didnt.
References
Laskaris, J. (2015, June 2). 20 facts about eLearning. Retrieved from:
https://www.talentlms.com/blog/20-facts-elearning-infographic/
Pappas, C. (2015, June 16). The Top Gamification Statistics And Facts For 2015 You Need To
Know. Retrieved from: https://elearningindustry.com/top-gamification-statistics-and-facts-
for-2015
Talent LMS. (2014, November 24). Retrieved from: https://www.talentlms.com/blog/elearning-
trends-to-follow-in-2015_1/