Gamification has been found a proven method to motive and engage students in classroom (Dicheva, Dichev, Agre & Angelova 2015, Chou 2014, Baer 2018). Tools such as Kahoot!, Quizizz, Socrative, Mentimeter, Quitch… share the same philosophy in their inclusive, user-centre design, which provides a learning experience that taps into the universal desire for growth, inclusion and achievement in each and every one of us. With the help of these tools, learning activities have been designed that allowed students to actively participate in the learning process, rather than being simply passive knowledge receivers, which enabled active and deep learning to occur (Bonwell & Eison 1991, Cavenagh 2016, Cherney 2008, Henning et.al. 2019).

Although similar, each tool has different features and limitations. All of them can cater for multiple choice questions and can run in different modes (such as individual, group, user-controlled, teacher-controlled, automatic, etc.). We found that Mentimeter is the most versatile program that can cater for various types of questions (see some examples below). Most tools have a free version with some functional limitations and a subscription-based version with more functionalities. Below are examples of some gamified activities that have been developed in different tools and used in various units.

Mentimeter – Multiple Choice Questions

Mentimeter – Categorise items

Mentimeter – Word cloud

Mentimeter – Ranking question

Kahoot! – Multiple choice question

Quizizz – Multiple choice question

Socrative – Multiple choice question

Interim survey results

In order to measure students’ satisfaction, a “pulse” survey was used to collect students’ feedback immediately after the session and has shown quite encouraging results.

Unit pulse survey – The activities in Week 2 class helped me understand the concept of the week (Strongly agree 37%, Agree 40.8%, Neutral 11.1%, Did not attend class 7.4%, Disagree 3.7%, Strongly disagree 0%)

Unit pulse survey – I enjoyed the gamified activities in Week 2 class (Strongly agree 29.6%, Agree 40.8%, Neutral 25.9%, Did not attend class 3.7%, Disagree 0%, Strongly disagree 0%)

References

Baer, S. (2018). The rise of educational games. Online: https://elearningindustry.com/rise-of-educational-games. Retrieved 19 Jan 2020

Bonwell, C.C. & Eison, J.A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. In: 1991 ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports. Online: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED336049.pdf. Retrieved 19/1/2020.

Cavenagh, S. (2016). The spark of learning: Energizing the college classroom with the science of emotion. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia Press.

Cherney, I.D. (2008). The effects of active learning on students’ memories for course content. In: Active in Higher Education. 9(2) 152-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787408090841

Chou, Y-K. (2014). Gamification to improve our world: Yu-kai Chou at TEDxLausane. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Qjuegtiyc. Retrieved 19 Jan 2020

Dicheva, D., Dichev, C., Agre, G. & Angelova, G. (2015). Gamification in Education: A systematic mapping study. In: Educational Technology & Society. 18(3).

Henning, J.A., Ballen, C. J., Molina, S. A., Cotner, S. (2019). Hidden identities shape student perceptions of active learning environments. Frontiers in Education 4, 129.