Motivating learners in online teaching environments can be challenging to achieve and sustain. Gamification is a developing area of motivating students to engage deeply with their learning and involves using game-based design principles and visual elements to build healthy competition, solve problems and apply critical thinking and collaborative skills in traditionally non-game tasks (Kapp 2012). Gamification allows students to move through to higher levels of play, or narratives and quests, by requiring students to use prior knowledge, transfer new information into new situations, apply information in correct contexts, and learn from immediate feedback. ‘When gamifying an online course the ultimate goal in game thinking is to create positive learning outcomes while students are committed and stimulated with the learning materials online.’ (McGrath & Bayerlein 2013)

1. Hermy Cortez Llacuna
GAMIFYING vUWS
Starting your quest in Blackboard Learn

2. vUWS = Virtual UWS
GAMIFYING vUWS

3. HERMY (CORTEZ) LLACUNA
Western Sydney University
@hermzcc
Blended Learning Designer
h.cortez@westernsydney.edu.au

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BINGO
https://bingobaker.com/play/810475

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Western Sydney University
• 40k Students
• 8 campuses
• 2k Academics
• 10 Schools and
The College
• Blended Learning
Specialists
• Central Blended
Learning Team

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The Central Blended Learning Team
• Professional Development sessions:
 Blended learning
 Fully online
 Assessment
 Active learning
• Consultation:
face-to-face,
one-on-one support
• Communities of Practice

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The Game Plan
• 2hr face-to-face session
• Intended for professional and
academic staff
• Objectives of the workshop:
• Showcase good practice
(vUWS site)
• Identify pedagogical
theories
• Run activities around
gamification

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What is gamification?
Gamification is the application
of game-design elements and
game principles in non-game
contexts.
(Sebastian Deterding, Assistant Professor in the Game Design
Program at Northeastern University 2011)
Gamification “utilises the
experience of fun, along with
intrinsic motivation and
rewards, to engage and
captivate individual
participants”.
(Sauderson, R. Making Learning Fun 2011)

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Gamification in action!

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LinkedIn gamified
(Status bar)

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Fitness gamified
(Challenges and leaderboards)

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Pokemon, Go
(Avatar, levels, badges,
competition, quests,
augmented reality)
Image source: GameSpot, 2016
Opera House, July 2016

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Why gamify?
Motivates students to complete activities
Helps students be more attentive to what they are learning
Allow students engage in friendly competitions with peers
It’s fun and engaging!

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https://pixelearning.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/final_info.jpg
REWARDS for motivation
PLAY as a way we learn
Repetition until MASTERY
is achieved
FLOW THEORY relates to the emotions
evoked by the flow states in games
GOLDILOCKS THEORY means it needs
to be “just right”

15. Gamify learning Learnify gaming

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Gaming mechanics
 Characterisation
 Quests
 Competition
 Achievements

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Quests
 Narrative/Journey
 Challenges
 Mission
The power of a good
story is to motivate

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Achievements
 Points
 Badges
 Rewards
 Certificates

19. Tools to help gamify vUWS
AchievementsGrade CentreLearning ModuleAdaptive ReleaseOther gradable tools

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Activities – The Quest in vUWS
 Part 1: Explore (15 mins)
In groups, use the CoWs on your learning pod, to go through examples of quests
 Part 2: Discussion (15 mins)
Development of quest using tools in vUWS and storyboarding
 Part 3: Storyboard (20 mins)
Using the storyboard template provided or any tool accessible on the CoWs, as a
group or individually, you can begin to storyboard quest ideas based on around
learning goals. (You do not need to finish it)
 Part 4: Presentation (if time permits)
Volunteers to share their ideas to class, using the whiteboard camera, document
camera, or CoW
PAGE 20

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http://popplet.com/app/#/3393080
The Intern – an example

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The Quest in vUWS - Feedback
Awesome initiative to enhance
blended learning at Western.
Find ways to engage students and
make learning fun. Thanks cBLT!
Learn how to engage millennials on
vUWS
Very useful ideas, principles,
examples and resources. Readily
transferrable to practice.
It’s easy to implement
Essential for online teachers
A worthwhile workshop for anyone
looking to enhance student
engagement in vUWS
A must for unit coordinators to
develop engaging vUWS content

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Where are we going?

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Questions?

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h.cortez@westernsydney.edu.au
@hermzcc