3 Ways You Can Ruin Gamification In Your Elearning Course

businessmen icons in a football fieldGamification in an elearning course is proven to boost learner engagement. Take note that this is different from game-based learning wherein you use actual games as the activity in your course. Gamification and game-based learning may seem similar in the sense that they can improve employee engagement. However, gamification merely uses the elements of gaming in the learning process. Instead of using an actual game, the latter merely uses the idea of competitiveness and rewards to make the course more exciting.

An example of gamification is the use of badges or rewards as the learner goes through the different phases of the elearning course. It makes everything competitive but there is no real game in the course.

While you will hear a lot of good reviews about gamification, you need to be very careful because there are mistakes that can ruin its benefits in your course. To be specific, there are three things that will ruin it for you.

  1. Failing to make the gaming experience relevant. If you will use it in your elearning course, make sure that it complements the lesson. Otherwise, the whole effort will be wasted. Not only that, you need to make sure that the gaming element will appeal to your learners. For instance, using a badge after the completion of an activity is gamification but may not be appealing to management trainees. They may not be motivated by earning digital badges. On the other hand, earning rewards may be more engaging. If you have a diverse audience, you may want to provide different gaming styles – e.g. question and answer, multiple choices, quizzes, etc.
  2. Making the game too easy. When a game loses its challenge, your learners will get bored. You need to provide them with enough challenge so their abilities will be stimulated. If the learner gets too many rewards, they will not take the game seriously. Another important point that you need to learn from this mistake is that you should not give out a reward for every accomplishment. Focus on the skills that you want them to develop through the course. This is one way for you to determine if the lesson is effective and if the elearning course is meeting its goals and objectives.
  3. Being unable to connect on an emotional level. This may seem confusing to some. Games, if you want it to be really effective, has to establish an emotional connection with the learners. You know how some gamers are addicted to some games? They cannot wait to complete a game – no matter how challenging or difficult it is. That is because the game was able to connect with them on an emotional level. It tapped into what they want to achieve and their hidden aspirations. The desire to win can be addictive and that can effectively alter the behavior of your learners as they go through the learning process. If you can use this to develop a skill, you can be sure that retention rate will be very high after your elearning course.

Remember that no matter how effective a tool or method of learning is, you need to implement it correctly for it to improve your elearning course. If you are intent on using gamification, make sure to avoid these mistakes.

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