Gamification & Game-Based eLearning: Enhanced Course Design

There is a growing emphasis on beneficial employee training as companies become aware that a capable, knowledgeable workforce translates directly into effectiveness and productivity.

The problem is, it can be difficult to get your employees to take time out of their (hopefully) busy schedules to take training, especially when the corporate training programs of the past tend to sit on the “less-than-exciting” end of the spectrum.

This is where both Gamification and Game-Based eLearning come in. This article from elearningindustry.com does a good job explaining what the differences are between these two related, yet fundamentally different concepts.

Gamification keeps the focus on the content and the knowledge contained within your course. Centered around traditional coursework, with a teaching portion and an assessment portion, gamification uses points, badges, leaderboards, and other competition and reward-based aspects to incentivize and engage your learners.

For example, you might take a course, learn some new things, and then be presented with a quiz at the end. Pretty standard stuff. But once you complete the quiz, you will be awarded points based on how well you did, or perhaps a completion badge, signifying that you accomplished your objective. This will show up on a leaderboard, letting you compare your scores and progress with others in your company or training group. By giving learners this extra motivation and a goal to achieve, they are more likely to come back to their training and retain the information they learn.

Game-Based Learning, on the other hand, puts more emphasis on the “Game” aspect of the courses. Interactive games and activities are utilized to teach certain skills or concepts.

Instead of using points or game-like aspects to enhance the learning experience, the game IS the learning experience. This method is effective because it breaks out of the traditional mold of lectures and quizzes, and lets your learners truly interact and experience the concepts and skills they are learning.

However, it is important to keep in mind that the primary goal here is to learn; don’t make the game too easy or challenging, or your learner will lose interest without ever fully understanding the concepts.

In addition, don’t forgo quality content to make the game itself better. While keeping your learners engaged and active is key, remember that content is king, and a fun game built around mediocre content won’t help you reach your goals.

Learning Evolution has begun developing custom content for some of our biggest clients that incorporates both Gamification and Game-Based Learning.

Our goal is to be on the forefront of innovation, and bring our clients and partners the very best product possible.

Utilizing the course-authoring tool Elucidat, we have been able to create engaging, effective courses that lead to tangible results and actionable gains in knowledge.

Remember, it’s Learning… eVolved!™