Gamification for Learning, Performance & Change

Explore how gamification, using a timeline game, teaches the history of space and demonstrates how skepticism can yield engaging, behavior-changing learning.

Explore how game mechanics like randomization, badging, competition, cooperation, role play, and simulation drive motivation, risk, and reward to enhance learning design.

A gamification skeptic speaks and guides you to evaluate learning technologies by aligning learning and gaming objectives with learner needs, mechanics, and meaningful feedback.

Learn to apply human-centered design and design thinking to instructional design by prototyping early, testing assumptions, and learning from failure to gain insights.

Design with learner-centered thinking to tailor games for user needs, testing feasibility, viability, and desirability. Iterate with quick, rough prototypes to gather insights and improve the learning product.

Explore design thinking through small, actionable learning mechanics, practice with games and prototyping, and embrace failure to drive learning, change, and performance.

Explore how points and scoring measure progress and drive motivation, while addressing pitfalls like shallow experiences, and learn to prototype gamified learning through a practical design workout.

Explore how badging as a reward creates extrinsic motivation and status signals, compare real-world and digital badges, and design learning experiences that use badges to drive performance.

Explore how randomization drives engaging gameplay and learning, from Uno to Candy Crush, balancing fun with potential pitfalls while guiding learners to prototype desirability.

Explore how competitive and cooperative game mechanics shape learning and performance, with examples like pong, scrabble, team sports, and pandemic, and guidance for designing cooperative learning experiences.

Explore how role play and simulation differ, their positive and negative impacts, and apply them to safe, low-cost prototyping in learning design.

Explore additional game mechanics such as exploration, levels, and collection to enhance learning design. Prototype learning experiences that engage, scaffold, and address real learning needs.

Take five minutes to reflect on what you learned, capture insights from your prototypes, and plan how to apply them, then complete a brief course evaluation to guide future improvements.