Gamification in D2L, Leslie Van Wolvelear, Oakton Community College Presentation given on Dec 13, 2019 at DePaul University for the D2L Connection: Chicago Edition.

1. Gamification techniques to engage students
Leslie Van Wolvelear, Co-Chair and Professor of Accounting
Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
lvanwolv@oakton.edu

2. Bill Copeland
American Poet
The trouble with not
having a goal is that you
can spend your life
running up and down the
field and never scoring.

3. Poll Question # 1
Do you currently use games in your courses?
a. Yes, in lecture courses
b. Yes, in online courses
c. Yes, in both lecture and online courses
d. No

4. Gamification
 Move through levels
 Earn achievements (positive reinforcement)
 Play to avoid losing awards (negative
reinforcement)
 Collaborative: work with others to achieve
goals
 Synthesis: bring multiple skills together to
achieve awards
http://www.knewton.com/gamification-education/

5. Gamification
Gamification is a process whereby game
mechanics are integrated into traditionally
non-game tasks in order to make the
experience more fun, engaging, or
meaningful for the participants.
Rowan Tulloch and Michael Hitchens, “The Gamification of Higher Education Teaching Practices”

6. Does gamification help students learn?
It depends, says Johnson.
“You will always have your top performers, and you’ll
always have students who struggle, no matter how many
incentives you throw at them.
A well-designed gamification system has the most impact
on the middle 40-percent to 60-percent of students. It
motivates these students to do more.”
Steven L. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems
Temple University’s Fox School of Business in Philadelphia

7. Games in lecture courses
1. Jeopardy – for exam review
https://www.playfactile.com/
2. Bingo – for vocabulary review – give
definition and cards have vocabulary term
3. Financial statement line up (Accounting) –
students receive a card with account name
and need to physically line up in the proper
order

8. Escape Rooms
“We tend to forget that ‘play’ –
in the many different forms it
takes –is learning for humans
of all ages” (Judson, 2017)
Judson, G. (2017). Play Matters: Six Play-Full Practices for Higher Education. Retrieved from
http://www.creativitypost.com/arts/because_play_is_learning_for_adults_too_6_ways_to_play_in_higher_education

9. Escape Rooms
https://teacheveryday.com/escape-room-in-the-classroom/
 purpose – some type of mystery to solve or goal to
reach
 clues – a series of puzzles or questions to solve, one
puzzle at a time, eventually leading to the goal
 something to unlock – a combination lock or
access code – The answers are provided by the
clues that students solve along the way
 a time limit (optional, but helpful) – A time limit can
drive motivation and focus, or it can add too much
stress.
 First team to complete earns extra credit and serve
as mentors for other teams

10. Poll Question # 2
Do you think games help students learn?
a. Yes
b. Maybe, but it depends on the student
c. No
d. Unsure

11. Gamification examples online
1. Gamify the syllabus
2. Gamify quizzes
with Quests
3. Badges

12. Why gamify your syllabus?
1. Motivate students to read the syllabus
=

13. Why gamify your syllabus?
2. Engage students to connect with the
course policies on Day 1

14. Why gamify your syllabus?
3. Engage students to connect with their
online classmates

15. Why gamify your syllabus?
4. Engage students to connect with the
available college resources

16. Why gamify your syllabus?
5. Connect course with General Education
Learning Outcomes of college
• Critical Thinking
• Communication
• Literacy
• Responsibility
https://www.oakton.edu/academics/assessment/gen_ed_learn_outcomes/index.php

17. Syllabus Scavenger Hunt
• Clear and concise instructions
• Use of images to get the students’ attention
• Links to LMS tools – Discussions, Quizzes,
Assignments, Surveys, Checklists, E-mail
• Points for completing assignments, but not
everything counts for points
• F2F - Completed in a computer lab on Day 1

19. Easter Eggs
Students can earn extra credit points by finding the
hidden Easter Eggs (a common gaming technique)
Give students a sense of accomplishment and
motivates them to complete the entire activity
(Persistence)!

20. Let’s look at an example

28. Poll Question # 3
How often do you receive course procedure
questions that are answered in the syllabus?
a. Never
b. Daily
a. Weekly
b. Before exams

29. Chapter Quests
Motivate students to continue learning
“Let’s go on a Quest to learn …”
After the chapter quiz due date, a chapter quest will
open for students to improve their knowledge and
mastery of the chapter content.

30. Chapter Quizzes
Students complete chapter quizzes. Each quiz has
the following properties:
• 20 questions randomly selected for each attempt
• Questions are pooled by objective
• 1 attempt per chapter quiz
• Time limit of 60 minutes per attempt
• Inaccessible after due date
• 10 points per chapter count towards final grade

31. Chapter Quests
Each quest has the following properties:
• 20 questions randomly selected for each attempt
• Questions are pooled by objective
• 2 attempts per chapter quest with the highest score
counting towards extra credit – 2 points per chapter
• Time limit of 60 minutes per attempt
• Feedback is provided for all questions with user
response – answers shown – text reference
• Inaccessible after exam due date

33. Chapter Quests/Badges
1. The extra credit earned will increase quiz
points up to a maximum of 100% or 110
total points after dropping the lowest quiz
score.
2. They also earn an overall badge
designation
Give students a sense of accomplishment!

34. Extra Credit Points
11 chapters x 2 points each = 22 total extra credit
points available in 1,000 point course (2.2%)

35. Badges

36. Poll Question # 4
Do you plan on using games in your courses in
the future?
a. Yes
b. Possibly
c. No

37. Questions?