Gamification in a Workshop Environment

Knowledge transfers and learning are exciting and important areas for society, but to create a learning situation that is both informative and fun can be a hard task. Maybe the learning can be strengthened by using parts of a game to engage and motivate the learner? That is what some hope that gamification is going to do. Gamification in learning tries to use certain parts from games to increase motivation and offer a better learning, which is also what this master thesis examines.

Gamification is about the usage of game elements in a non-game context. Even if the term may feel foreign it is something that most have encountered. Gamification is often used in apps for training which enables the user to follow their progress and collect points. There are also applications that can be used in a learning situation, for example kahoot! that presents questions in the shape of a quiz. One example of a gamified learning platform is Khan Academy that uses points and medals to raise the experience.

The effects of gamification are still uncertain since the field is broad and there are many different game elements to implement. There are hopes that it is able to increase motivation, engagement and learning. This thesis presents a gamified workshop that belongs to the new production line that has been developed during the year by the project Production for Future, a part of Smarta Fabriker. The workshop implements analog game elements like time limits, roles, teamwork and progression. Central in the workshop is that the participants get to test what it’s like to be part of the production line and discuss possible improvements.

Roles were used to create a team feeling between the participants during the time that they build products in the production line. A goal is presented in the form of the number of products and a time limit to create pressure. The goal is used to clarify what the team is working towards and to make the activity feel challenging. By offering a challenge and at the same time show the importance of teamwork, we hope that the workshop engages the participants. The hope is that increased engagement and increased participation can lead to an improved learning experience by letting the participants interact more with the material.

Ulrikaovictor
Master thesis students Ulrika Holm and Victor Huke with the Vera factory and the game board in the background

To create a situation that fits everyone is not totally simple as different people like different things, and that applies to gamification. One group likes to compete, one to work together. Therefore the participants feelings and experience were the center of attention when designing the workshop. We want the participants to feel the presence of a story and feel community and challenged. The implementation then continued by focusing on:

  • Which structures and interactions can be used to create these experiences, and…
  • … How do we create a situation where these structures and interactions are complied?

Since the field is missing common guidelines for how a gamification should be implemented it can be hard to know if it will succeed or not, but it has been pointed out that there is a contextual addiction which makes it important to consider which prerequisites that exist. We suggest that you look at which learning that is desired and what feelings the experience should bring the participants to create prerequisites to make the situation as good as possible.

More can be read in the rapport [link will be here soon].


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This article is categorised as Advanced  |  Published 2020-06-05  |  Authored by Greta Braun