The use of badges, points, leaderboards, and other concepts that are commonly found in games have enthusiastically been incorporated into online training by instructional specialists hoping to create a more engaging and motivational learning experience for end users. But is the gamification of learning actually yielding the results that warrant the hype?

In this session, you will review the results of a multi-semester study that explored the gamification of an online course. You will learn the factors that led to the decision to gamify a course, understand the research methodology, and discuss the tools and techniques used to collect continuous data from the end users. You will learn the effect that gamification had on behavior and performance, and you will explore the lessons learned from the study that will serve learning professionals in similar projects. You will learn a rigorous strategy to evaluate the results of learning projects in order to secure buy-ins from sponsors and clients for future projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• The effect of game mechanics on learner behavior and performance
• The importance of the evaluation of your instructional design strategy
• How to assess the impact of your learning strategy (beyond the smiley sheet)
• Techniques and tools to collect data from your learners
• The significance of collecting data from learners throughout the course (not just at the end)

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Google Analytics and MS Excel.