This is the first of three articles where I will talk about the easiest way to gamify your learning experiences. By easy I mean you can add gamification features to SCORM files and courses already created in your LMS. The Training Arcade® of ELB Learning offers 10 game templates that can be customized with the course content.
Embedding course content is essential. For example, integrating a Pac-Man game into a course does not gamify the learning. Playing Pac-Man does not reinforce learning, practice skills, or help remember. However, if you are playing a game like JEOPARDY!® or Wheel of Fortune®, two of the games offered by The Training Arcade®, and all the questions relate to course content, then the learning experience is enhanced.
Adding The Training Arcade® learning games at strategic points in the learning experience engages students and makes learning fun. When students replay a game to get more points and a higher score, they spend more time with the learning content. The game leaderboard can motivate students as they fight for a spot in the top ten, reserved only for those who have mastered the content. Some games have the ability to add a timer. You have to know the content very well to beat the clock.
Some of the ways people use The Training Arcade® games include: assessment, memorization, microlearning, organization or classification, visual recognition, simple to complex branching role-playing, problem solving and cognitive processing skills. These game models are fully functional. All you have to do is provide the content in the form of questions, answers, feedback and where applicable, images and videos. Each template can be used for an unlimited number of courses.
Make learning fun and memorable in two easy steps.
PHASE 1 – Build a game
Select a game template. Each model has its own characteristics. In this example, the Scenario game is slide-based. First, choose a question type: multiple choice, multiple selection, image match, text input, survey, or info slide.
Then select a slide layout and upload an image and optional audio.
Finally, enter your question, right and wrong answers, and feedback.
There is an option to add a timer and number of seconds. Repeat the process for each question slide.
There are several game setting options, some of which we see here in the image on the left.
The history shows the user how they answered each question.
The leaderboard shows the top ten players with score and the student’s rank.
The « Schedule a Demo » button is customizable with a link to an external URL.
STEP 2 – Publish and distribute the game
This is the easy part. You can download the game as a SCORM file, but there are other options. Each game has a unique linkable and embeddable URL. The code can be copied and added to a SCORM file. You might want to replace those routine knowledge checks with a fun game like this one.
This image shows the structure of an LMS course with a game as one of the learning modules. If your LMS allows you to upload a URL for your course, you don’t need to publish and upload a SCORM file. The game can be played within the LMS platform or you can open it in a separate window.
Gamification made simple
As you can see, it is not necessary to have a game developer on staff. With The Training Arcade® game templates, you can create an unlimited number of games to incorporate into your courses. When you update the game, the new version is automatically available in your course.
When it comes to reporting to your stakeholders, The Training Arcade® has all the metrics you need, from game statistics to student metrics to question-level analytics. All data can be downloaded to Excel.
Visit our website to see online demos of all ten games and sign up for a free trial. In Gamification Part Two we will take gamification to a new level by going beyond games to see what can be done with a gamification platform.
