A research paper has just been accepted for presentation and publication at the upcoming 10th European Conference on Game Based Learning (ECGBL 2016). The paper is based on a pilot at Coventry University on the use of a social and gamified platform for team working.
Competition And Collaboration Using A Social And Gamified Online Learning Platform
Sylvester Arnab1, Roy Bhakta2, Sarah Kate Merry1, Mike Smith3, Kam Star4, Michael Duncan3
1Disruptive Media Learning Lab, Coventry University, UK
2Institute of Education, University of Worcester, UK
3Health and Life Sciences, Coventry University, UK
4Playgen Ltd., UK
Abstract: Gamification is defined as the use of game techniques in a non-game context and has demonstrated potential impact in a wide range of subjects. Informed by the design and processes of digital gaming, gamification often exploits competition to motivate, personified by points, badges and leader boards. Success, however, seems to go beyond these basic features and rely on a concrete acknowledgement of the motivational model of the user, taking into account concepts such as situational relevance and situated motivational affordance, which can be framed under competition and/or collaboration. This paper investigates the impact of competitive and collaborative environments on summative assessment. This study bases its investigation on the StarQuest platform (http://starquest.eu/), a social and gamified collaboration application hosting a private online environment for small groups of individuals to co-curate and share digital contents. Participants were second year undergraduate students (Sport Psychology, n=94), who enrolled on a module entitled “A Fundamental Approach to Motor Learning and Control”. The module ran for 11 weeks and the curriculum was delivered using a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach. The results highlighted a number of strengths and weaknesses of implementing a gamified online platform for team working, which will inform future design, development and deployment of gamified and learning platforms.
Keywords: Gamification, game-based learning, collaboration, competition, blended learning
Sylvester Arnab 