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How to gamify the classroom? A proposal for teachers training

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DOI: 10.3217/978-3-85125-530-0-20

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 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3217/978-3-85125-530-0-20

How to gamify the classroom?

A proposal for teachers training

Inês Araújo

Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences - University of Coimbra

[email protected]

Abstract
Gamification can be challenging to implement, because it is not just to use
game mechanics in non-game context. The first results reveal that it is neces-
sary to focus attention on the design process, where some of the main problems
were detected. The setback that occurred in the early years was due to the lack
of knowledge and tools to enable it to be accomplished. Currently it is possible
to find digital tools that help on the design of gamification. Also the knowledge
available allows teachers to find creative solutions to successful experiences. It
is in this context that a teacher training program has been developed that will
enable them to structure and implement gamification in their classrooms. From
the Octalysis framework, teachers will be able to decide about what emotions
they want to provide to their students, and then structure what tools to use and
which game mechanics to apply.

Keywords: Gamification; Engagement; Training; Gamification design; Octaly-

sis framework.

1 Introduction

Gamification is a recent concept but its application is old. A good example is educa-
tion itself that is organized by sequential levels, with feedback and progression. Only
with mobile devices and the internet available now this concept appears and gain
projection [1]. However the initial promise faded because of the difficulties they
faced: on one hand, knowledge was poorly consolidated and on the other, the lack of
specific tools [2]. In the last two years books have been published, digital tools have
appeared and research has been made. So it is possible to be more close to uncovering
how to gamify classrooms.
In this paper will be described the concept of gamification and the Octalysis
framework. Based on that, a teacher’s course was developed and is being implement-
ed. For that reason it only be described what is programed to be implemented. The
first results would be presented at the conference.

adfa, p. 1, 2011.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011

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 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3217/978-3-85125-530-0-20

2 What is gamification?

The new generations spend most of their free time playing on the most varied mobile
devices available [3]–[6]. The technological development associated with the tech-
nical development of videogames and digital games created an environment advanta-
geous to the emergence of gamification [1], [7], [8].
For this contributed the work of Jane McGonigal [4], a designer who saw in the
games great possibilities to change behaviors or even the society. It is in the area of
marketing and human resources management that this concept has been more applied,
with Gardner, Inc. (consulting firm) forecasting its use by most companies by 2014
[1].
Deterding, Dixon, Khaled and Nacke [7] presented the first general definition:
“Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” (p.10). One
of the authors in the area of gamification that has focused on its use in the area of
education is Karl Kapp [1] who argues that “gamification is using game-based me-
chanics, aesthetics and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote
learning and solve problems” (p.12). Kapp distinguishes two types of gamification:
(1st ) the structural that corresponds to the application of game mechanisms to existing
content and (2nd ) the content where information, dynamics and content itself are
changed through game design methods [9]. However, applying gaming mechanisms
to any context does not mean that the desired effect is achieved. For example, the
widespread use of badges we currently see is developing what Burke [2] calls a
"badge fatigue" (p. 7), pushing away many of the users. It is important to direct the
gamification to what the user will feel, because only then can we create engagement
and achieve the desired effects [2], [10], [11].
According to Hamari, Koivisto and Sarsa [12], who evaluated the studies published
in international journals, the education and learning are the most frequent context
identified, and in these were pointed out positive results like increased motivation and
engagement in activities, as well as fun. Points that need improvement were also
pointed out, like the increase of competitiveness, the difficult to evaluate the activities
and planning them.
At the Portugal national level, several projects have been developed; in the educa-
tional area, we find the application of methodologies in computer science [13], asso-
ciating simulation games [14], implementation of the Openbadges mechanism in the
SAPO Campus platform [15], a digital literacy project [16]. They are mainly situa-
tions of evaluation of the effects of platforms or digital tools that have characteristics
of gamification in specific contexts, being based mainly on the use of badges, points
and leaderboards. More recently, a proposal for a social stratification model for edu-
cation, GET7, has been published, which outlines phases for the elaboration of a
gamefull activity applied to education [17].
But most of these projects include development teams to create what teachers have
planned. Unfortunately these conditions are difficult to provide in normal educational
context because of the costs that are involved. This was why the idea to begin this
project occurred. It is our aim to empower teachers to implement gamification with
the tools already available under the schools conditions.

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3 How to apply Gamification on classroom?

According to Zichermann & Linder [8, p. 216] there are three reasons for gamifica-
tion to be the future: (1st) “Gamification is the language of this new generation”,
(2nd) “The benefits of game apply equally well to older stakeholders”, and (3rd)
“Game delivers affordable, measurable, and scalable behavior change” (p.216).
Gamification is taking its first steps in the educational area, however that it is the
context where more studies are published according to Hamari [12]. Most studies are
based on projects where game mechanisms have been implemented in learning con-
texts [7], [12]. But Gamification is much more than that [1], its success depends on
the interests of the recipients [2], [8], [10], [11]. One of the problems that has already
been identified is the planning stage of gamification activities [12], which leads to
poor design experiences that may have novelty effects, but without great relevance in
long-term behavior change.
Robson [18] presents a framework of gamification named Mechanics, Dynamics,
and Emotions (MDE). This framework was adapted from Hunicke, Leblanc and
Zubek original game design: Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA). Aesthet-
ics on the game design “describes the desirable emotional responses (…) evoked in
players when they interact with the game” [21, p.413]. On his framework, Robson
[18] replace ‘aesthetics’ by ‘emotions’ since it is a close term to engagement out-
comes. MDE framework includes four components, namely:

 People involved -Designers, players, spectators, and observers.

 Mechanics - Decisions made by designers (“the goals, the rules, the setting, the
context, the types of interactions, and the boundaries of the situation to be gami-
fied” [18, p. 414]).
 Dynamics - behavior that emerges in players due to a gamified experience.
 Emotions - the emotional state and reactions that the experience provokes in the
players - from this depends the extension of the player in the experience.

It is important to understand how these components can be organized to accomplish a

successful gamification experience. What mechanics should be used? What is the
relationship between Mechanics and Emotions? What can we expect from a set of
mechanics? To understand how we can design and apply gamification it will be pre-
sented the Octalysis framework developed by Chou [11].

3.1 Octalysis Framework description

The Octalysis framework is based on the concept of Human-Focused Design that

prompts that people have feelings, motivations, insecurities and reasons why they
want to do something and optimize it to achieve that aim. All human actions have
behind it a Core Drive that motives them. Octalysis [11] is an octagonal analysis of
what drives anyone to do something, it describes eight core drives that explain the
motivation that is stimulated by game mechanics (Table 1).

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Table 1. – Core Drive description on the Octalysis framework [11].

Core Drive Description Example of mechanics

1 - Epic - it "is the Core Drive that is in play - Narrative
meaning when a person believes they are doing - Elitism
and calling something greater than themselves - Destiny child
and/or were "chosen" to take that action" - CoCreator
(p.25).
2 - Devel- - it "is our internal drive for making pro- - Points
opment and gress, developing skills, achieving mas- - Badges
accom- tery, and eventually overcoming chal- - Progress bar
plishment lenges" (p.25). - Leaderboard
3 - Empow- - it "is expressed when users are engaged - Mission unlock
erment of in a creative process where they repeat- - Instant feedback
creativity edly figure new things out and try differ- - Boosters
and feed- ent combinations" (p.26). - Choice perception
back
4 - Owner- - it "is where users are motivated because - Collection set
ship and they feel like they own or control some- - Avatar
possession thing" (p.26) - Virtual goods
5 - Social - "incorporates all the social elements - Social treasure
influence that motivate people, including: mentor- - Group quest
and related- ship, social acceptance, social feedback, - Bragging
ness companionship, and even competition - Mentorship
and envy" (p.27)
6 - Scarcity - it "is the Core Drive of wanting some- - Appointment dynamics
and impa- thing simply because it is extremely rare, - Fixed intervals
tience exclusive, or immediately unattainable" - Count down
(p.27) - Patient feedback
7 - Unpre- - it "is the Core Drive of constantly being - Mini quests
dictability engaged because you don't know what is - Easter eggs
and curiosi- going to happen next" (p.27) - Random rewards
ty
8 - Loss and "This Core Drive should come as no - Progress lost
avoidance surprise - it's the motivation to avoid - Evanescence opportuni-
something negative from happening" ty
(p.28). -Fear of missing out

This entire Core Drives are organized in an octagonal shape being the 1 at the top
corner and the 8 at the bottom, the even numbers are distributed on the left side and
odd numbers on the right side. The Core Drives on the left side of the shape are more
extrinsic motivation (logic brain side) and the ones on the right side are more intrinsic
motivation (creative brain side), being the 1 and 8 core drives with the two sides. This
octagonal shape also has positive (White hat) and negative (Black hat) drives. The top
shape has the positive ones: they give us joy, and is possible to control them. The core

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drives in the bottom are the negative ones: they are urgent, addictive and we cannot
control them. Chou [11] in his book presents more than a hundred mechanics that we
can find in games and we can use them on gamification design. However, we must
start by establishing what emotions we want the players/learners to feel on the gamifi-
cation experience and after is possible to define the mechanics to use to achieve it.
The Octalysis framework explains how each mechanic affects players, allowing us
to understand the motives behind their reactions. For this reason it was chosen to help
teachers on the gamification design of classroom activities during the training.

3.2 A proposal to teachers training

“Taking quizzes and exams became ‘defeating monsters’, writing papers became
‘crafting’ and class presentation became ‘quests’” [19, p. 424] is a way of easily ex-
plaining how teachers could apply gamification to their classrooms. But is necessary
more than a change of words, we need digital tools easy to use and available to teach-
ers and students. It is also necessary that all components (mechanics, dynamics and
emotion) make sense to people involved [2], [11], [18].
Gamification requires digital tools to provide the full scope of a game and teachers
can take advantage of the vast number of resources available through the Internet to
achieve this. Thousands of digital tools and apps for mobile devices are available to
be used, but it is difficult for teachers to keep up with developments and new releases.
These digital tools, if used properly, enable teachers to create engaging environ-
ments in their classrooms. An extensive list of digital tools has been collected and can
be useful guide to teachers, but it is the context and how the tools are used that makes
the experience engaging. Octalysis framework can lead teachers to choose which
tools to use, how and at what time.
Training course for teachers is underway. It aims to uncovering the emotions that
motivate students to learn and thought Octalysis framework, teachers will design and
implement of a gamified activity in real context.
To design gamification experience for their students, teachers are invited to
1. Identify the goal they want to achieve (i.e.: change a behavior; engage stu-
dents in a part of the subject;…)
2. Identify the emotions that can guide students to achieve that goal (i.e.: curi-
osity; item collection; peer appreciation; …)
3. Identify digital tools that could be used to reproduce these emotions (i.e.:
online space to interact with students; different tools to create more interac-
tive support materials)
Based on these choices, teachers will be supported by the project team to prepare
and implement a gamification design they planned. The possibilities of combining the
different tools are gigantic. This allows teachers to choose the options that best suit
the technical conditions available in schools, the technical mastery they have over the
tools and the interests of the students. Of course, it is not an easy task to do. We ex-
pect that the discussion of ideas between teachers and the sharing of experiences
could have a great effect here. Also, the creativity of each teacher to think outside the
box could have a big contribution to the success of each design.

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Presently this training is happening, for that reason is not possible to identify re-
sults. However, is possible to identify different type of digital tools that can be used.
Table 2 is not exhaustive, but presents some of tools collected that appealed more
teachers.

Table 2. Digital tools that can be used to design a gamifyed experience.

Type of tool Description Examples of digital tools

Platform to Online platform that allows Edmodo https://www.edmodo.com/
social inter- exchanges between students, SAPO Campus http://campus.sapo.pt/
action teachers and parents, where
trough stu- is possible to schedule tasks
dents and and give feedback.
teachers
Gamificati- Online platform that have Class Dojo
on platform gamification features ready https://www.classdojo.com/
to be used, like avatar, re- Class Craft
wards, progress and https://www.classcraft.com/
achievements. LiveSchool http://whyliveschool.com
Habitica https://habitica.com
Blue Rabbit http://bluerabbit.io/
Collabora- Tools that allow collabora- Drive (Google)
tion tools tion work between student
and teacher. Facilitating the
track and rapid feedback.
Exhibition Tools that allow the creation Amaze http://www.emaze.com/
tools of presentation more interac- Slidebean https://slidebean.com/
tive to show in class. It can Prezy https://prezi.com
be used by students and
teachers.
Exhibition Allow to create a presenta- Nearpod http://www.nearpod.com/
tools with tion and share it with stu- ClassFlow https://classflow.com/
collabora- dents’ thought their mobile Pear Deck https://www.peardeck.com/
tion features devices and they can interact
with it.
Quizzes A set of questions to be an- Quizalize https://www.quizalize.com/
swered, it can be used to Quizizz https://quizizz.com/
assess students’ knowledge Kahoot https://kahoot.it/
or to help them to study. Plickers https://plickers.com/
Quizz Center http://quiz.center/en/
Quizz on Tools that allows integrated ActivelyLearn
text, image questions during the visuali- http://www.activelylearn.com/
or video zation of a video, in a PDF EDpuzzle https://edpuzzle.com/
file or on an image. Playposit https://www.playposit.com/
Thinglink http://www.thinglink.com/

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 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3217/978-3-85125-530-0-20

Video de- Tools that allow to create easelly http://www.easel.ly/

velopment animated videos that can be ToonDoo http://www.toondoo.com/
used by teachers and/or stu- Screencast o Matic
dents. http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
Go Animate http://goanimate.com/
My simple show
https://mysimpleshow.com
Game tools Tools that allow editing Jigsaw Planet
content in games, like http://www.jigsawplanet.com/
crosswords, random picker, Educaplay
puzzle. https://en.educaplay.com/
Classtools http://www.classtools.net/

These tools will be useful to teachers to reproduce the mechanics necessary to in-
crease the desired dynamics and observe the desired emotions happening. The im-
portant is to correctly combine all these tools. It takes a context that gives meaning to
everything that is accomplished, either by the narrative that accompanies the unleash-
ing of the tasks or by the challenge that was proposed to the class. It is up to the
teacher to define the path that he considers most suitable for his students. This pre-
vents possible technical limitations and technical competence that some tools may
require.

4 Final Consideration

Who applies gamification has in common "the belief that human behavior can be
changed through good, engaging design"[8, p. 220]. Also “Understanding the individ-
uals that are involved in a gamified experience is fundamental to understanding gami-
fication” [18, p. 414].
There is always a clear goal when gamification is implemented (examples: behav-
ior change, understanding a subject, motivation for learning, etc...) however, must be
adapted to the requirements that arise: technical conditions, mastery on the use of the
tools chosen and the motivations that drive the ones involved in. Many variables can
influence the execution of gamification projects; however, so far we observed that the
sharing of experiences and cooperation between teachers are factors that have a posi-
tive influence in the execution of these projects.
It is our intention to present in the future the results obtained through the training
of the first group of teachers and later improve it, so it would be possible to teacher to
gamify their classrooms with success.

5 References
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strategies for training and education. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2012.

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2. B. Burke, GAMIFY: How Gamification Motivates People to do Extraordinary Things.

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6 Acknowledge:

Work developed under LabTE (FPCE-University of Coimbra) activities.

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