E-learning & Gamification – fun people development

e-earning_gamificiation

July 25, 2023

Modern, motivating, and anything but boring – that is how e-learning should be designed. Gamification is a way to convey content in an inspiring and challenging way. Find out how gamification works and why it is so important for e-learning in this blog article.

E-learning has become an integral part of people development. Finding ways to motivate participants and support them in their development process is particularly important with digital formats. How can organizations improve the user experience and promote the joy of developing? One way of boosting motivation to learn and achieving higher completion rates is through the use of gamification.

What does gamification even mean?

The term gamification describes playful content that can be found in many aspects of everyday life and is intended to increase or maintain the motivation of users. This principle is not only used in the e-learning and blended learning sector, other businesses also use elements such as bonus programs or progress bars to keep engagement high.

Gamification in people development – the theory behind it

Many philosophers and humanities scholars have already explored the human play instinct. One basis for gamification is the self-determination theory of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. According to them, three basic psychological needs must be met for intrinsic motivation.

Competence

Effective and successful interaction

Autonomy

Freedom of choice and options for action

Relatedness

Belonging to a group

Gamification can ideally fulfill these needs and thus contribute to intrinsic motivation.

Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory offers further insights into the effects of gamification. It deals with the flow state in which people are immersed in their tasks and experience joy in the process. This deepened flow state is influenced by the needs and abilities of the individual. It is important that there is neither a state of being overwhelmed or anxious, nor a state of boredom.

Gamification-Flow-Theory

Gamification elements can promote the flow state because they provide participants with stimuli and make the development process more varied. On the other hand, content can be broken down and conveyed in manageable chunks, thus preventing overload.

Why is it important to choose e-learning with gamification?

Gamification offers numerous advantages and opportunities in the field of people development. The goal is to help employees remember the content long-term, without the feeling of having worked hard for it. Different interactions and tasks are designed to draw the attention of the users, which supports engagement and therefore the development of the employees. Gamification in the e-learning context ensures that participants can absorb offered content better, concentrate on it longer, and it improves their user experience compared to one-sided methods. A varied and playful development process can increase the motivation and engagement of users.

Examples for gamification elements in e-learning

Whether it is quizzes, learning nuggets, interactive videos, serious games, surveys, or achievements: there are many elements that can make personal development playful and immersive. Here you find a small selection that we use on our platform and in our learning programs.

A, B, C or D? – Quizzes

Quizzes allow you to test and deepen your knowledge in a targeted way and are also a lot of fun! Not without reason are quizzes popular with all age groups. With different media used, quizzes become a creative tool to lighten up content and make it more practical for users. Point systems can also be used. Users can put their knowledge to the test with multiple-choice questions and collect points.

Gamification_Quiz

Keeping track – Progress bar

Having an overview and feeling like you are progressing: Progress bars make this possible. Seeing their learning progress gives users the opportunity to transparently track their own development path. This mechanism is also suitable for motivating users to work towards percentage milestones and can contribute to the aforementioned flow state. Alternatively, levels can also be integrated – depending on the structure of the learning platform and the content. In this way, employees are constantly looking forward to a new level and are motivated to continue.

Visualize success – Rewards

Not only progress bars can visualize milestones, but also reward systems. On our learning platform, users can look forward to a very special surprise effect: confetti rain! With this element, users can celebrate their learning progress and at the same time receive encouragement for what they have achieved. In addition, these sequences provide a little break between the modules. At the end of a learning program, users should also be rewarded for the work they have done – for example in the form of a certificate, badge, or award.

Gamification_Konfetti

Playful elements – interactive learning and exercises

Participants are more likely to remember what they have learned if they activate, apply, and practise the learning content. In adidtion, long sections can be exhausting for users in the long run. This can be remedied by challenges and gamified elements where users need to take action. These learning situations add variety to the learning experience and increase engagement.

Enabling practical transfer – Challenges

Small challenges not only spice up the learning process, but also help users to put what they have learned into practice. Hands-on activities make content memorable and can be applied to everyday working life. By reflecting on one’s own situation, the learning content is linked to emotions, which also has an impact on engagement and motivation.

Learning platforms and training courses with gamification elements have a positive impact on employees’ learning outcomes. There are various options for integrating playful elements. The design must be appealing and suit the learning format and storytelling. If you want to learn more about our approach to implementing gamification in e-learning, take a look at our learning programs, or have an exchange with our L&D consultants. No obligations – you can simply create a free demo account or schedule a meeting.

Vanessa Chodak
Content Manager
As part of the content team, Vanessa designs the content of troodi's learning programs. She incorporates her creativity into both editorial and visual content and comes up with gamification elements. She has a master's degree in literature and linguistics as well as various experiences in online editing.

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