Bad Gamification Won’t Fix Bad eLearning: Seven Principles That Will

Gamification involvesusing game elements to motivate staff to complete a particular task. When gamification was first emerging, it was heralded as the means bywhich the eLearning industry could catch up with our more satisfying consumerexperiences of digital content outside the workplace. From Duolingo to Angry Birdsto Candy Crush, we “borrowed” the concepts of the leaderboard and challenges,and we (perhaps) expected our eLearning experiences to transform overnight.

The real story behind gamification and whatwe need to fix

My purpose in this article is to use Gartner’sHype Cycle for Education, 2015 as a lens through whichto view the progress of gamification and ask some questions about what we stillreally need to fix in eLearning. Can we draw parallels between poorgamification implementation and the poor state of some eLearning?

If you aren’t aware of the Gartner Hype Cycle,you can read more about it here.

The Hype Cycle is useful for organizations tomake informed decisions about when to use modern technologies. Sometimestechnologies are overhyped and fail to deliver upon initial expectations. When thecycle moves into the later stages, such as the “plateau of productivity,” weoften see better solutions emerging.

A short history of gamification

The computerprogrammer Nick Pelling in 2002 was first to use the term “gamification,” but it didn’t become a buzzworduntil 2010­–11.

While it seems a natural fit for learning andtraining, gamification has also been used to support customer engagement andmarketing. As far back as 2010, Starbucks gave custom Foursquare badges topeople who checked in at multiple locations. And in 2013, over 70 percent ofForbes Global 2000 companies said they planned to use gamification for thepurposes of marketing and customer retention.

In 2015, though, gamification was sliding intothe Gartner Hype Cycle’s Trough of Disillusionment—which means that interest wanes as experiments andimplementations fail to deliver. Producers of the technology shake out or fail.Investments continue only if the surviving providers improve their products tothe satisfaction of early adopters. (Gartner subscribers can view thereport here.)

The eLearning garden isn’t in full bloom,either

It isn’t only gamification that’s had its upsand downs. In 2014, the Serious eLearning Manifesto emerged as a responsefrom some of the senior figures in the eLearning industry to what they saw aslack of progress on universal good eLearning quality.

Their argument was that we needed to move fromtypical eLearning experiences to something more serious. The phrase “seriouseLearning” was a parallel to the more well-known “serious gaming.”

From serious gaming to serious eLearning togamification—as an industry,we are trying hard to drive better-quality learning experiences. But are wemaking it more complicated than it needs to be?

Playing the wrong game

Poor gamification usually focuses on the endpoints—the rewards, the points, thebadges, the loyalty programs. Not enough time is spent on connecting these to meaningfulbusiness metrics or goals. Should you get a badge for completing your five eLearningcourses on compliance training, or should you get a badge for demonstrating howa particular eLearning course has improved your performance?

Some of the best implementations ofgamification focus on helping staff to overcome challenges and to see the realresults of their efforts. What if you gamified the efforts and the work yourstaff covered each week? You might be able to say things like:

• Based on your bloggingthis week, Fiona, you helped us secure a new client.
• You published threearticles this week, Fiona; this means 3,000 more people will learn about ourbrand.
• If you write three moreblog posts that get more than 2,000 hits or 10 comments, Fiona, you will becomean “expert in gamification.”

So maybe this is a fantasy on my part, but itis meaningful data to me, and it helps me to readjust my efforts in a significantway.

If you look at some of the first applicationsof gamification—in the sportsindustry—that is exactly whatgamification does: It provides results, and therefore incentives, to help usersadjust their efforts in ways that are meaningful to them.

Gamification can work if designed properly

Allstate’s use of gamification to transform its standard video training for common compliance topics(data protection, ethics, etc.) led to all sorts of improvements. What was its approach?

Instead of videos and quizzes, Allstate developeda game based on selecting a superheroto fight the villain Data Gator, who was intent on stealing customers’personal information. The leaderboards provided great visibility and a talkingpoint on progress.

The key here was that the game mechanics wereexplicitly tied to the business goals. Showing leaderboards of how many timescustomer information was protected is interesting strategy.

So what are we really trying to fix?

Gamification became popular from 2010 onward. Ibelieve it was in response to the ongoing poor state of much eLearning content.Compliance training, in particular, has much to answer for here. Most of it isstill “click next,” wall-to-wall text, and race-to-the-finish content. In ourpractice at Logic Earth, we have adopted seven design principles to addressthese and other issues:

1.Insights

Staff are busy and need help as quickly aspossible with their biggest challenges. Provide an insight into thesechallenges, pain points, or behaviors, and don’t forget to address areas likemotivation and confidence. Find out and address what might hold people backfrom improving their performance.

2.Visual impact

Vision is our dominantsense. The brain is more efficient at remembering images than reading text. Notall images have an equal impact; they attract our attention like magnets, butthe brain eventually ignores repeated “decorating images.” In eLearning, useimages to explain concepts, clarify complexity, spark emotions, and giveexamples that are core to the learning.

3.Scaffolding

The brain is one bigpattern-matching machine. To learn and grow, we look for connections betweenold and new—like a giganticjoin-the-dots puzzle. Help people to learn the core building blocks of asubject by providing support structures. Ask questions, model solutions,provide examples, have structured discussions, signpost new concepts, andcontinually offer opportunities for reinforcement.

4.Pacing

Being aware ofcognitive load and pacing helps the learner acquire newknowledge and skills without feeling overwhelmed. Content presentation inuser-controlled, navigable chunks helps make the learning experience moremeaningful.

5.Relevance

We make strongerconnections when new information has personal meaning to us. The morereal-life information eLearning content uses, the more efficiently our staffcan put that learning into practice.

6.Practice and feedback

Hands-on practiceelements, encouraging exploration, making mistakes in a safe environment, andstructured feedback should be at the heart of all modern eLearning content.

7.Continuous learning

We rarely learnsomething new or improve knowledge and skills in a one-off event; staff membersneed ongoing reinforcement and support as they continue to improve and develop.Develop job aids, checklists, and templates to support your staff. Encourage communitiesof practice and ongoing collaboration.

Wrapping it all up

Are your eLearning design principles helpingdrive the quality of your work in the right direction? Your staff members craveand expect learning content and interventions that are both meaningful andpersonalized to them. Rolling out badly gamified solutions or not adjustingyour eLearning content strategy just won’t cut it anymore.

Poor eLearning, like poorly implementedgamification, just continues to give our industry a bad name. Let’s pulltogether on this one. Don’t let poor gamification replace poor eLearning.

References

Allen, Michael, Julie Dirksen, Clark Quinn, and Will Thalheimer. “The Manifesto.” SeriouseLearning Manifesto.
https://elearningmanifesto.org/

Everson, Kate. “Allstate Is inGamification’s Hands.” Chief LearningOfficer. July 2014.
https://cedma-europe.org/newsletter%20articles/Clomedia/Allstate%20is%20in%20Gamifications%20Hands%20(Jul%2014).pdf

Gartner. “Gartner Hype Cycle.”
https://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp

Lowendahl, Jan-Martin. Hype Cycle for Education, 2015. Gartner.8 July 2015.
https://www.gartner.com/doc/3090218