Gamification in eLearning: Why is it Such a Big Hit?

‘Gamification’ as a content-delivery strategy has gained a lot of traction in recent times, especially in the eLearning arena. Why not? It keeps the learners hooked to the content and improves knowledge retention.

But what exactly is gamification and how does it benefit eLearning? Let’s discuss

What is Gamification?

At its core, the term gamification refers to the ‘addition of game-like elements to a non-gaming environment. It is the technique of adding ‘game elements and game mechanics such as reward points, levels, and badges to the non-gaming context of learning’. Adding these game elements keeps the learner motivated to perform better and complete the task.

The intention behind gamification is to engage the learners and make learning a fun experience. It uses a reward system as its core context to motivate learners’ participation, encouraging them to learn. Gamification elements can be added to different types of content and any existing course to increase learner participation.

Gamification for eLearning

Imagine your childhood game Super Mario. Most of us had played the game, and what kept us going forward with the game was Mario’s reunion with the Princess. To reach this final destination, Mario had to go through several levels and earn some powers that would help during the final combat.

Now, the same logic can be applied to eLearning. When game-like elements are added to eLearning courses, the whole learning experience becomes fun and interactive and motivates learners to take up the challenge. With rewards and incentives at each step, the learners are encouraged to continue learning. Let us now discuss the benefits of Gamification in eLearning.

Benefits of Gamification in eLearning

Facilitates Better Learning Experience

Gamification, when used as a part of the eLearning strategy, enhances the overall learning experience. For instance, adding game-like elements to the e-learning course at corporate workshops can create an environment of friendly competition. It motivates the learners to outperform their fellow learners, all also encouraging them to work toward their learning objectives.

It promises high learner engagement while obtaining knowledge. This is especially effective for digital natives who are more productive and motivated if their learning environment is more like a game.

Discover amazing ways to engage your learners in virtual classrooms.

Boosts Knowledge Retention

The main purpose of learning is to gain and retain knowledge and use it whenever required. Gamification of eLearning facilitates that. Games make the content highly engaging and facilitate active participation of learners in the course. This helps in better retention of what they have learnt. Also, the reward-based learning technique incentivizes the learners for their progress with the course. This motivates them to do better and thus promotes knowledge retention.

Suitable for All Age Groups

Gamification in eLearning not only makes learning a fun, engaging experience, but it is also suitable for people of all ages. The use of interactive elements at different points through the course implies an improved overall user experience.

Makes Way for Immediate Feedback

Feedback is a way that motivates a person to improve and grow, especially when learning something new. This has always been the main problem with traditional learning. The learners have to wait till the end-of-course assessment to know their progress. However, this issue can be resolved with gamification.

With short and interactive assessments built into the course, learners can get immediate feedback which helps them improve.

Makes Learning More Practical

Learning becomes more impactful when theory is coupled with practice. The ability to apply their learning in real-life scenarios helps learners gain knowledge and retain it. Gamification in eLearning has tasks revolving around the subject matter. The learners get to use the knowledge gained to solve the tasks.

How to Use Gamification for Employee Training

There are several ways to incorporate gamification into corporate training and eLearning. Let’s look at some of the strategies for including game-like components in your learning and development system:

Employee Onboarding

Employee onboarding is not just important, it can be overwhelming too. There is a lot of information about the company, the processes, the culture, and the people, and the newly hired can find it challenging to take it all in one go.

Instead of the traditional way of giving them multiple online courses to complete, adding a layered, reward-based approach to onboarding can be helpful. Creating multiple onboarding “missions” to complete, will help employees get around seamlessly.

For example, during the first week of joining, the new employees can be tasked with a mission of completing an eLearning course on company culture. The next week, they can be tasked with the mission to complete a course on company policies, and so on. Offering a certificate for completing each mission can motivate them to perform better.

Soft Skills Training

Gamified assessments i.e., assessing skills based on quick and fun games, are a great way to encourage employees to master a new skill.

When creating an eLearning course for your employees to train them on soft skills, plan on giving them badges for work well done or for reaching their goals. This not only makes it a fun experience but also gives them something to be proud of once they finish a course.

Compliance Training

Mandatory training sessions such as compliance training are both formal and complex. However, the learners must be fully focused during these sessions. The use of game elements in such eLearning sessions is a great way to liven them.

Using game-like simulations during these sessions can keep them engaged with the content. For instance, you can include a scoreboard to track their understanding of the company’s code of ethics. This way, the sessions can be both engaging and motivating.

Wrapping up

We have all seen or known gamers being engrossed in games in the pursuit to earn rewards and gratification. That is exactly what gamification in eLearning does. It makes learning a fun experience so the participants enjoy the process and feel a sense of achievement at each point.

When weaved into the corporate learning system, gamification boosts the learner’s productivity and awareness and thus leads to the improved overall performance of the organization. Gamification is a powerful learning strategy that keeps the learner engagements high. There are more such strategies that can be used to ensure effective knowledge transfer.

This handy reference will help you discover more about various instructional design strategies that can enliven your eLearning courses.