When the concept of gamified learning first became popular, few took it seriously. Education was always seen as a time-consuming process that’s in no way related to entertainment or fun.
Luckily, educational institutions and various organizations are starting to realize the effectiveness of gamified learning, and many have decided to give this exciting new method a try.
The rising popularity of virtual classroom software and LMS software as a whole has allowed organizations to embrace gamification and quickly implement gamification elements in their educational courses.
This has brought astonishing results, as it became apparent that gamification is highly effective in helping learners master their course materials faster, and retain their knowledge better.
Importance of Gamification in eLearning
Whether we’re talking about student coursebooks or employee training programs, learning materials are rarely engaging and stimulating.
This is one of the biggest challenges that many educators have to face and overcome – how to engage learners?
Thanks to virtual classroom software, the answer to this question is quite simple; Through gamification.
Gamification is defined as the use of game mechanics in non-game contexts to help the learners to solve problems, and it’s quite useful at this.
Through gamification, you can:
- Increase learner engagement
Gamification can increase the learners’ level of participation by 60%. Just like typical video games are immersive and attention-grabbing, so are gamified e-learning courses.
Your students/ employees can turn from passive learners to active ones, which will improve their learning process and make them more productive.
- Improve knowledge retention rates
eLearning can improve the students’ knowledge retention rates by 25% to 60%. This is again connected to their engagement levels, as more engaged students can retain information better.
- Improve collaboration
Just think about it, over 56% of gamers prefer multiplayer games for the simple reason that it’s more interesting.
Gamifying the learning experience and adding some friendly competition can work wonders for improving collaboration between the learners and for encouraging them to be better.
These are just some of the benefits of gamifying eLearning, and it’s enough to show that this truly enhances the learning process and improves the overall learning experience.
Gamified eLearning Examples
Many companies have become aware of how beneficial it can be to gamify their educational training programs through LMS software, and we can all learn from their examples.
Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting gamified learning experiences that have been created.
ProProfs Training Maker
As a cloud-based learning management system (LMS), Training Maker is built upon the belief that software should make people happy.
It offers multiple ways to incorporate gamification in online courses to make learning a delightful experience for everyone. This is designed to improve participation rate, engagement level, and completion rate.
Some of the game elements you’d find in Training Maker are:
- Learning paths
- Puzzles & brain games
- Quizzes
- Scoreboards
- Badges
- Completion certificates
Duolingo
This might be one of the most well-known examples of using gamification to improve the learning process.
This language learning platform has over 300 million users simply because it’s made learning more enjoyable.
Some of the main features of Duolingo include:
- Earning currency as you progress
- Points and leaderboards
- Collaboration through social media
- Competition through social media
- Voting
Brainscape
Brainscape is a learning game that offers users a chance to create flashcards on any topic they need. It can be as straightforward or as difficult as you’d like it to be.
Some of the gamification features include:
- Collaboration through editing permissions and social media
- Progress tracking
- Creating benchmarks
Till Training Game
This McDonald’s game aimed to teach the employees about the new cash register system that they were introducing to their restaurants.
Not only could the employees build their skills, but they could also improve the overall customer experience.
Some of its main gamification elements included:
- Realistic simulation
- Scores
- Levels
- Bonuses
- Dynamic feedback
Lifesaver
Lifesaver is a game that’s intended to teach about the lifesaving technique CPR. It’s interactive and consists of a live-action film that enhances the whole experience.
Main features include:
- Storyboarding
- Timed activities
- Interactive design
- Progress stats
- Formative feedback
Virtual Reality House
Virtual Reality House is an immersive simulation that allows the learners to learn the skills they need in a safe environment before they enter their desired profession, such as plumbing.
The gamification features of Virtual Reality House include:
- VR environment
- A realistic, scenario-based approach
- Step-by-step learning process
- Handheld console
Gamification Elements to Include through Virtual Classroom Software
Those interested in gamifying their eLearning programs often shy away from it because it seems too complicated.
The fact of the matter is, you don’t have to create a full video game experience with fantastic storylines and out-of-this-world graphics. All you need to do is include some gamification elements to your learning content.
Luckily, most LMS software makes this easy.
The most common gamification elements that you’ll find in eLearning materials are:
- Levels/ points
Levels or points can show progress, and they’re there to allow the gamers (or in this case, learners) to see how quickly they’re advancing. This can serve as a great motivator that will encourage the learners to improve.
- Storyline
Storylines make it easy for learners to memorize more information. Encouraging learners to participate in the creation of the story will make them more engaged and invested in the material.
- Challenges
Challenges are at the core of every game, and this is one of the most critical elements that you should incorporate in your learning materials.
Of course, the challenges should get progressively more… well, challenging.
- Competition
A chance to win is what makes most games exciting. There’s no point in playing if you can’t win, and most gamers enjoy playing highly competitive games that test their limits.
A bit of friendly competition will make everything more interesting, especially if there’s a real-world prize that could be won.
Through LMS software, you can create competitive tests or quizzes quite easily.
The Bottom Line
eLearning gamification doesn’t require you to actually develop full, immersive video games. It merely requires you to approach learning from a different perspective.
Including gamification elements in your eLearning courses through virtual classroom software can be exceptionally easy, and can offer many benefits:
- Improved learner engagement
- Improved knowledge retention rates
- Enhanced collaboration
- A better learning experience
Your eLearning courses can include all or just some of the crucial gamification elements, and you’ll quickly notice the improvements.
All it takes is a little bit of creativity and a good LMS software. The rest is easy.