Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 601

7th International Conference on Education and Technology (ICET 2021)

Gamification Strategy for e-Learning Using

SMART Model Approach: An Indonesian Case
Study
1st Diovianto Putra Rakhmadani* 2nd Yudithia Dian Putra 3rd Ine Luna Dianti
Department of Digital Bussiness Department of Elementary and Department of Management
Institut Teknologi Telkom Preschool Education STIE IBMT
Purwokerto, Indonesia Universitas Negeri Malang Surabaya, Indonesia
[email protected] Malang, Indonesia [email protected]
[email protected]

4th Erif Ahdhianto 5th Pramono

Department of Elementary and Department of Elementary and
Preschool Education Preschool Education
Universitas Negeri Malang Universitas Negeri Malang
Indonesia Malang, Indonesia
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—Lately, e-learning is the most used support the learning process [1]. With the use of E-
learning method applied worldwide, especially after the learning, it is hoped that it can avoid face-to-face
Covid-19 pandemic. With the use of e-learning, teaching meetings between teachers and students, especially
and learning activities can continue during this pandemic. during the pandemic [2]. In its application, the
However, in the world of education, the application of e- replacement of the learning system from conventional
learning has several obstacles faced, including boredom,
methods to online learning has several obstacles arise,
lack of interaction, and a relatively long time in the
implementation of learning. These obstacles can be such as the lack of attractiveness of the material
minimized by applying a gamification strategy in e- provided by the teacher, the lack of variety of learning
learning. However, most times, the application of materials, to the low level of student participation in
gamification tends to focus on game and reward schemes online teaching and learning activities [3]. In addition,
to ignore the essence of learning itself. A SMART the change in the physical environment into a visual
gamification model ensures the usage of gamification environment is also suspected to be the cause of the
strategies in e-learning can be implemented according to ineffectiveness of online learning to be carried out [4].
the essence of the desired online learning and can increase Some of the obstacles that arise have proposed a
learning effectiveness to support teaching and learning
solution by implementing the Gamification strategy in
activities with an e-learning platform.
e-learning. Gamification can generally be defined as the
Keywords—SMART gamification, e-learning, Covid-19 use of some game design elements in a non-game
pandemic context [5]. Or it can also be said that the concept of
Gamification refers to the application of game
I. INTRODUCTION mechanics and dynamics that are used to increase user
Education is a major milestone in the development motivation, enthusiasm, and engagement [6].
of Human Resources (HR). According to UNICEF, the Gamification applies concepts from lessons on using the
Covid-19 pandemic affected more than 91% of the game domain to change user behavior in non-game
world's student population, which was affected by situations [7], Which with these behavioral changes, in
school closures due to the pandemic. The solution to particular, is expected to be more motivated, more
keeping learning activities going is to adopt distance enthusiastic, and have more involvement in taking
learning, where every educational institution is starting online classes. The concept of gamification can be
to compete to carry out developments to ensure that described in Figure 1.
distance learning activities can take place in a quality The purpose of implementing gamification is to
manner by using technology in the form of e-learning. make teaching and learning activities more attractive,
E-Learning is a form of learning that is structured interactive, and have a rewarding system so that
to use an electronic or computer system so that it can students become more enthusiastic in online learning

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 63
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 601

activities. However, the use of gamification in e- game in e-learning with the aim that students become
learning does not all go according to plan. Many cases more motivated and engaged in e-learning by
result in students becoming more oriented to getting implementing a badge system, rewards, and so on in e-
rewards from e-learning than getting an understanding learning. However, this approach makes students more
of the learning content itself. [8]. This certainly results oriented to getting rewards from the learning rather than
in the ineffectiveness of e-learning with gamification getting to understand the content from the learning
strategies. itself. This results in less effective e-learning learning
with the application of gamification.

TABLE 1. PREVIOUS RESEARCH

Research Title Findings
Gamification in e- There was a higher attendance rate,
learning: the effect on the amount of homework submitted,
student performance and an increase in the scores in the
Saran et al. (2018) [9] post-test scores obtained by the
students in the experimental group.
The gamification feature has the
power to improve student
achievement in the learning process.
Student’s Perspectives of According to a survey of 82
Online Language students, the results show that
Learning During Corona students are dissatisfied with online
Pandemic: Benefits and classes. They prefer and recommend
Fig.1. Definition of gamification [5] Challenges traditional classes more because
Zhoun et al. (2021) [10] they participate, interact, and are
To answer these challenges, it is necessary to apply motivated more in them. They
a "SMART" model in compiling gamification for e- assume that online classes have
learning so that the essence of online learning through more negatives than positives.
Exploring E-learning One of the biggest problems is
e-learning can be ensured to be maintained without Challenges During the Operational problems in delivering
forgetting the essence of learning itself and teaching and Global e-learning materials, such as lack of
learning activities can run effectively according to with COVID-19 Pandemic: A training, maintain student
the aim of education itself. SMART guarantees that Review involvement in online classes
Aini et al. (2020) [11] through e-learning.
gamification in e-learning remains in its share as an The Challenges and The advantage of E-learning for
attractor of student learning interest and not as a system Prospects of Using E- students is that e-learning can adapt
that gives a level of addiction to the game in it without learning among EFL learning to suit their learning needs
any knowledge gained. Students in Bisha and time requirements, which makes
University it interesting and motivating for
II. RELATED WORKS (Ja’ashan, 2020) [12] them.
Gamification as a tool for The application of game
Gamification and its relationship with e-Learning engaging student mechanisms in the form of quizzes
have begun to be widely applied in the education sector, learning: A field on e-learning is proven to be able to
experiment with a increase student interest in learning.
especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This can be gamified app
seen from the existence of several previous studies on (Welbers et al., 2018)
the sector. The following is presented with several [13]
previous studies on e-learning and gamification in Table The impact of opt-in Gamification was applied to an
gamification on online course, and it was found that
1. students’ grades in a students tended to be motivated and
Based on the results of the above findings, it can be software design course enjoy the games applied to e-
concluded that the application of gamification is indeed Fernandez et al. (2018) learning. However, there was no
proven to be able to increase student learning interest in [14] significant relationship between the
elements of enjoyment in e-learning
e-learning, but this does not guarantee the essence of and the level of student score
gamification in e-learning, namely learning that is acquisition.
conveyed effectively. This is found in the absence of
continuity between the level of student interest in
participating in gamification-based e-learning with their
level of understanding or value acquisition.
III. METHOD
To answer the challenges of these studies, this study
uses the SMART approach in developing a
gamification-based e-learning platform. The use of
gamification strategies generally applies a form of a Fig. 2. Gamified e-learning goal

64
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 601

Figure 2 above explains that the use of gamification mark in the form of points/badges as a sign of measuring
strategies in e-learning is the creation of more intense the success of a specific completion of e-learning
involvement by students in learning by using several material.
game elements [15]. This approach based on previous
B. Measurable
studies is considered quite promising, but there is a
major problem, namely that students in e-learning Gamification elements work better if they can be
learning with gamification tend to enjoy the flow of the measured directly. With measurement, students can
game that is applied rather than getting the essence of measure their progress quickly and allow them to
the learning itself. Therefore, this study offers a compare their achievements with others so that e-
framework called SMART to overcome these problems. learning will create an element of competition in it.
SMART is a gamification strategy that can be Measurement can be done in various ways, such as
applied to e-learning to ensure that gamification in e- collecting badges. With badges in Figur 4, students will
learning is not only to increase user engagement but also be able to get an idea of the size of their learning
to increase the effectiveness of training programs in e- achievement and also understand the achievements of
learning. SMART itself is an acronym formed from the their competitors or classmates to maintain the level of
words Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time- competition.
bound goals.
A. Specific
Each gamification element should contain elements
that are easy for the players to understand, in this case,
the students. With the aim that students can study e-
learning learning content harder, not more confusing so
that the formulation of gamification specifically is
needed so as not to confuse students. The use of
commonly applied gamification elements should still be
applied, such as badges, points, and levels. They are
simple but very effective. It has been proven that the Fig.4. The design of the measurable element
simple gamification element that it ranks as the highest
motivator (even when compared to real-life rewards and C. Achievable
real-life punishments). To motivate students effectively, the goal of
gamification must be attainable. Each gamification
element should contain elements that are easy to
understand by the players, in this case, the difficulty
level of the questions or games should not be made too
difficult and not too easy, give the right weight so that
an award is logically able to be achieved following
weights, e.g., leaderboards. The leaderboards scheme
can be done by grouping several students who get the
highest and lowest scores so that each student will be
encouraged to be among the best that shown in Figure
5.

Fig.3. The design of a specific element

Each chapter in Figure 3 is a lesson that should be

applied according to the level of difficulty (leveling) Fig.5. The design of the achievable element
according to the reference book. The book always
explains from basic to advanced, each chapter is given D. Relevant
a leveling/level of difficulty where every level increase
The gamification element must also be relevant to
is required to complete the previous chapter and get a
your student life. The main purpose of a gamification

65
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 601

strategy is to encourage learner engagement and not to

turn the entire training into a game. Linking the rewards
collected in e-learning with real-life rewards for learners
will also increase their motivational potential that
shown in Figure 6.

Fig.6. The design of the relevant element Fig.7. The design of the time-bound element

In a small group survey, it was found that the results

of 40 respondents in a closing statement about what
reward they most want in school when winning a
competition in their class that is relevant to teaching and
learning activities (for example) is presented in the
following Table 2.

TABLE 2. THE SURVEY

Fig.8. Gamified e-learning using SMART model
No Reward Number of
Answers
1 Handwritten Note 6 With the application of the SMART model, an e-
2 Textbook 11 learning platform with gamification will ensure the
3 Online Game Voucher 8 level of effectiveness of learning that does not only
4 Trophy 12 focus on student involvement in the game in e-learning
5 Stationery 3
itself but ensures that the content of the learning itself
will be more accepted and understood by students.
From the table above, it is found that the majority
of respondents want a trophy with 12 answers as a form IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
of reward in e-learning games, followed by textbooks The gamification design approach to e-learning in
with 11 answers and online game vouchers considering this study uses the SMART model, where the offline
that they (students) also need time to play apart from learning application approach is also the basis for
studying. development obtained from the results of previous
E. Time-Bound studies regarding students' perceptions of the
The gamification strategy should be time-bound. shortcomings of online learning. Based on this model,
The gamification element must be tied to the schedule there is an e-learning application design based on
and deadline of the training program on e-learning (e.g., SMART gamification, which is described in the
students must be able to collect as many points as following Figure 9. Figure 9 shows that the specific
possible within one semester in a particular module). dimension emphasizes that e-learning must have a level
With the application of time-based gamification, of material that can be adjusted to the target of the
students will be required to establish the level of course itself, each lesson should be given a level of
discipline that must be followed in their studies. It will difficulty (leveling) so that each student can follow the
also motivate them to complete each unit of study on course starting from the basic, advanced, to expert
time while trying to beat other students in the same time sections. The design developed is that each learning
frame. course has a student passing percentage rate seen from
Based on those requirements in Figure 7, an e- the post-test after the learning material. e.g., each
learning gamification development with the SMART course has a rule that to proceed to the next discussion,
model is proposed, which is described in the following a student completion rate of > 80% is required.
Figure 8.

66
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 601

side but also to focus on completing several pre-tests

and post-tests in the future to get good grades and be
able to be at the top of the leaderboards. This refers to
the existence of a desire for self-actualization that is
owned by each student.
Figure 12 shows the design of the "individual
learning report" in e-learning with the usage of
Relevant and Time-bound dimensions. Individual
reports in gamified e-learning do not only focus on
students' final grades but also the form of points earned
by students over a certain time (time-bound). If at a
certain time, for example, one semester, the final grade
of the course and the points earned, these points can be
used as conversion units to get rewards, for example,
textbooks, so that student learning motivation can be
maintained.
Fig.9. Specific learning

Figure 10 shows that SMART gamification also

emphasizes how the application of gamification in e-
learning must have achievable and measurable
dimensions. The design above shows that the
measurement in e-learning with the SMART model is
applied in the form of points obtained by each
individual and can be compared between one individual
and another to maintain the level of competition in the
form of leaderboards. The leaderboards also display
achievements in each subject, where they must work
together to complete a "level" in a subject matter so that
they can move on to the next "level".

Fig.11. Top students of the week

Fig.12. Individual report and achievements

V. CONCLUSION
This study resulted in an e-learning design with the
Fig.10. Leaderboards application of the SMART gamification model. Where
this research is making a prototype using the android
Figure 11 shows the design of “Top Students Of studio application, with this research, it is hoped that in
The Week,” which is needed to maintain the level of the future, the implementation of gamification
competition. The purpose of the live leaderboards is to strategies in e-learning can be done by maintaining the
motivate students not only to focus on the gamification essence of e-learning itself, namely the achievement of

67
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 601

understanding the material by students and not just [7] K. Robson, K. Plangger, J. H. Kietzmann, I. McCarthy, and L.
Pitt, “Is it all a game? Understanding the principles of
providing interesting experiences or engagements for e- gamification,” Bus. Horiz., vol. 58, no. 4, 2015, doi:
learning users in the hope of increasing effectiveness of 10.1016/j.bushor.2015.03.006.
e-learning can also be improved. [8] A. M. Toda, P. H. D. Valle, and S. Isotani, “The dark side of
gamification: An overview of negative effects of gamification
ACKNOWLEDGMENT in education,” in Communications in Computer and
Information Science, 2018, vol. 832, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-
Acknowledgments for the success of this research 97934-2_9.
are given to elementary school students in the city of [9] M. Saran, D. Al-Magsoosi, and D. Mohammed, Gamification
Malang, East Java, who became respondents as well as in e-learning: The Effect on Student Performance. 2018.
resource persons regarding the analysis of e-learning [10] J. Zboun and M. Farrah, “Students’ Perspectives Of Online
learning needs in the elementary school environment. Language Learning During Corona Pandemic: Benefits And
Challenges,” Indones. EFL J., vol. 7, pp. 13–20, Jan. 2021, doi:
REFERENCES 10.25134/ieflj.v7i1.3986.
[11] Q. Aini, M. Budiarto, P. O. H. Putra, and U. Rahardja,
[1] D. Al-Fraihat, M. Joy, R. Masa’deh, and J. Sinclair, “Evaluating “Exploring E-learning Challenges During the Global COVID-
E-learning systems success: An empirical study,” Comput. 19 Pandemic: A Review,” J. Sist. Inf., vol. 16, no. 2, 2020, doi:
Human Behav., vol. 102, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.08.004. 10.21609/jsi.v16i2.1011.
[2] A. Y. Alqahtani and A. A. Rajkhan, “E-learning critical success
[12] M. Mohammed Nasser Hassan Ja’ashan, “The Challenges and
factors during the covid-19 pandemic: A comprehensive
Prospects of Using E-learning among EFL Students in Bisha
analysis of e-learning managerial perspectives,” Educ. Sci., vol.
University,” Arab World English J., vol. 11, no. 1, 2020, doi:
10, no. 9, 2020, doi: 10.3390/educsci10090216.
10.24093/awej/vol11no1.11.
[3] M. Astuti, “Analisis Efektifitas Penyelenggaraan Pembelajaran
[13] K. Welbers, E. A. Konijn, C. Burgers, A. B. de Vaate, A. Eden,
Daring di Sekolah Dasar Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19,” J.
and B. C. Brugman, “Gamification as a tool for engaging
Integr. Elem. Educ., vol. 1, no. 1, 2021, doi:
student learning: A field experiment with a gamified app,” E-
10.21580/jieed.v1i1.7224.
Learning Digit. Media, vol. 16, no. 2, 2019, doi:
[4] S. G. Chrisnatalia and D. R. Rahadi, “Komunikasi Digital Pada 10.1177/2042753018818342.
Pembelajaran Secara Daring Dimasa Pandemi Covid-19,” J.
[14] K. Fernandez-Reyes, D. Clarke, and J. Hornbach, “The impact
BONANZA Manaj. dan Bisnis, vol. 1, no. 2, 2020, doi:
of opt-in gamification on students’ grades in a software design
10.47896/mb.v1i2.289.
course,” 2018, doi: 10.1145/3270112.3270118.
[5] S. Deterding, R. Khaled, L. Nacke, and D. Dixon, [15] Gabe Zichermann and C. Cunningham, Gamification by
“Gamification: toward a definition,” Chi 2011, 2011. Design. O’Reilly Media, 2011.
[6] A. Botra, M. Rerselman, and M. Ford, “Gamification beyond
badges,” 2014, doi: 10.1109/ISTAFRICA.2014.6880651.

68