This document discusses applying gamification principles to online faculty professional development. It describes challenges with the completion rate of an existing online professional development course for faculty. Gamification elements from games could be used to encourage higher completion rates and build flexibility. These include allowing a non-linear format where modules can be completed in any order, issuing digital badges for achievements, and adding optional "mini-quests". The goal is to make online professional development more engaging for busy faculty by applying principles from game design.

1. APPLYING GAMIFICATION PRINCIPLES
TO ONLINE FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Michael Wilder
October 29, 2014

2. S E S S I O N E VA L U AT I O N S
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3. Applying
Gamification
Principles to
Online Faculty
Professional
Development

4. Presenter
Michael Wilder
Instructional Design Coordinator
Destiny has led Michael on a dual career path of
education and technology. As a result, he's a
hybrid with skills and perspectives from both
fields. He has worked as educator and trainer in
a variety of environments, serving as
instructional designer, learning technologies
specialist, Blackboard administrator, and
university instructor.

5. Learning Objectives
By attending this presentation, participants will be able to:
• Discuss the challenges of online professional
development (PD)
• Identify potential solutions for providing PD to higher
education faculty
• Define essential gamification principles
• Develop a basic badge issuing system
• Analyze a case study applying these methods

6. Questions
• How many ever taught an online course?
• How many have ever received formal training
on online teaching and learning pedagogy and
tool use?

7. The Problem
• Enrollment in online learning
is rapidly increasing.
• All 50 states offer online
learning opportunities.
• 21st century educators need to
be prepared to teach online.
• Very few institutions offer
practical training
opportunities.
(Kennedy & Archambault, 2012)

8. UNLV Online Education
• 300 – 400 online or hybrid
sections per semester
• Similar # of instructors
• Many courses taught by
part-time instructors
• Many new instructors every
semester (with little or no
prior online teaching
experience)

9. Our Mission
Provide online professional
development for online instructors.
• Online teaching and learning pedagogy
• Course planning and development
• Best-practice models for faculty to see
what the environment looks like
• Opportunity for faculty to experience an
online course as a student
• Experience with technology and tool use
• Identify helpful resources

10. The Art & Science of Teaching Online
Version 1.0
• Initial planning stages in late 2010
• First section taught March 2011
• Six-week sessions
• 25 credit hours / six modules
• Cohort based / 5-15 participants per cohort
• Instructional designer facilitated
• Incentives provided

12. The Art & Science of Teaching Online
Version 1.0
• Thirteen sections
• 148 participants
• 67 graduates
• 45% completion rate
• Several faculty taking the course repeatedly
67 complete
81 incomplete
148 total

13. Questions
Imagine yourself in a position to provide professional
development to online educators.
• What are some ways you could encourage higher
completion rates?
• How could you build flexibility so that educators
keep coming back for additional training?

14. Key survey results
• Online educators have diverse
professional development content
needs.
• Online educators are very busy.
• Online educators need flexibility
with scheduling.
• Online educators want an
interface that is both simple and
engaging.

15. Open ended
• No start or end date
• Complete on your own schedule
• Certificate of completion after all
six modules
Solution

16. Non-linear
• “Choose your own adventure”
• Modules can be taken in any
order
Solution

17. “Gamification is the application of game elements in non-
gaming situations, often to motivate or influence behavior.”
”7 Things You Should Know About Gamification," Educause Learning Initiative
Solution

18. Gamification
• At least 35 elements of
game design
• Many already exist in
learning management
systems

21. Case Study
The Art &
Science of
Teaching Online

23. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
• describe standard design and development processes for fully
online or blended (hybrid) courses at UNLV,
• prepare typical planning documents necessary for developing
an online class (syllabus, course schedule, learning
objectives),
• identify online teaching techniques that encourage student
success,
• develop effective communication and collaboration strategies
for online courses,
• design meaningful and authentic assessments for online
learning.

24. The course is composed of six learning modules:
• Starting the journey
• Planning and designing a course
• Teaching an online course
• Content presentation and online resources
• Communication and collaboration
• Assessments and rubrics

28. Faculty are encouraged to share
challenges and successes,
resources, ideas, and thoughts

29. Future enhancement: Mini quests
Learning Theory?
-
Learning Theory?
Learning Theory?
Quality Matters certification process
Hybrid/Blended teaching strategies
Time management for online educators

30. Questions
• What additional topics could be added for
online faculty professional development?

31. Badges
“Digital badges are a validated indicator of
accomplishment, skill, quality or interest that can be earned
in various learning environments.”
"A Future Full of Badges," The Chronicle of Higher Education
Example badges from Codecademy

32. Badges
• Bullet point #1
• Bullet point #2
• Bullet point #3
• Bullet point #4
• Bullet point #5

33. Badges
• Bullet point #1
• Bullet point #2
• Bullet point #3
• Bullet point #4
• Bullet point #5

35. The Future
• Leaderboard
• Learning community
• Discussion rating
• Mentoring
• Mobile integration
• Additional “mini quests”
• Social media integration

36. Questions – Tie Breakers
“Over 5 million people play an average of _____
hours a week of games.”

37. Questions – Tie Breakers
“As a planet, we spend ______ hours a week
playing video and computer games.”

38. Questions?

39. Michael Wilder
E-mail: michael.wilder@unlv.edu
Phone: 702-879-8454
Web: http://online.unlv.edu