The nature of e-learning means that professionals can learn anytime and anyplace without boundary or constraint. However in some instances this lack of structure can lead to fragmented learning without true focus for longer periods of time. It is therefore important to keep the user engaged in the learning program, and one of the best ways to do this is through gamification.
Gamification uses the interactivity and rewarding nature of games to improve the immersion of learning programmes through encouraging the user to interact with the learning beyond the basic ‘read and absorb’ process associated with more traditional text-based learning. The gamification of a learning programme can stretch far beyond the interactivity of the learning material and into the competitive side of progression harnessing scoring systems and leader boards to compare and challenge individuals to improve their own abilities in order to compete with others. Correct use of gamification can lead to rich data extraction which in turn can then be used to refine and target the learning material to better achieve its goals and improve user results when they are later tested on what they have learned.
Through taking a learning programme and defining its goals and aims you can tailor objectives and targets for users to achieve, which can then better display and visualise a user’s ability. Targets and objectives are a great way to engage a user and encourage progress in small steps in order to achieve a larger end goal.
Gamification of learning in more recent times is being more closely linked with social media. In an environment where users can learn individually without the reinforcement of peers and equals, social media is the best way to retain a sense of learning in groups like traditional classroom learning does. When used in the correct way, social media can encourage competition between colleagues and friends as well as encourage groups of individuals to achieve group targets e.g. challenging an entire department to complete a learning programme in order to receive a group reward.
A common misconception of gamification is that through improving a programmes interactivity you have therefore ‘gamified’ it. The process of gamification can span so far beyond the obvious changes and improves reporting, analysis, engagement, retention and most of all the end result of users better retaining what they have learned.
