How gamification on learning management systems worksHello again and welcome to the third article on Gamification! If you’ve not done so already, I recommend you first discover what gamification is and find out about ‘content’ gamification before carrying on. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

Ok – let’s get started. This time we’re talking about ‘structural’ gamification. I touched on it last time when I explained how Luke Learner can see his position on the Learning Management System’s leaderboard, which motivates him to push his own development further.

Whereas ‘content’ gamification involves gamifying the actual eLearning content itself – with the addition of points, timed quizzes and badges awarded for getting answers correct – structural gamification involves gamifying the way that learning content is delivered.

In real-life classroom-based learning, this means putting up a leaderboard on the wall showing students’ progress and awarding points and badges to those that ask questions, lead discussions and contribute most to the session. Sometimes it helps to separate learners into different teams, as this really gets the competition going!

When it comes to gamifying the structure of online learning, the same things apply. Gamification features can complement an awesome Learning Management System and send motivation levels soaring. Here’s another illustration of just how this happens:

The very first time that Patricia Pupil logs on to her Learning Management System, she is greeted with a pop-up guide to show her the ropes and get her up to speed, and a very special badge called ‘A Whole New World’ for embarking on her learning journey.

The tour takes her through all the really important areas of her Learning Management System – from the ‘My things to do’ area which lists all the eLearning modules she needs to take and the tests she has to complete, to the ‘News’ section where she can share links and documents that she’s found interesting with other learners. It even shows her how she can comment on other people’s contributions, just like on Facebook.

The tour continues and Patricia discovers the ‘Leaderboard’ and the ‘Badge Cabinet’ full of achievements for her to unlock. In fact, for checking out the Badge Cabinet Patricia is awarded another badge – the Trophy Hunter! Now she can see all the badges that are available to her and she knows what she has to do to achieve them.

So far, so fun!

Now it’s time to knuckle down and do some hard work. As she opens up her very first eLearning module, she is awarded with the ‘First Steps’ badge for viewing her first piece of eLearning content. “Amazing!” she thinks. “I’m climbing up the leaderboard already! Now how can I get some more badges?”

Patricia isn’t quite sure what to expect from the eLearning unit, but luckily for her, it is fully gamified, making it engaging and enjoyable – in fact, it’s so fun that Patricia zooms through the unit and gains another badge!

That’s four badges already and she’s only just getting started – a few more eLearning units and assessments and Patricia will be charging her way to the top of the leaderboard.

Social learning

how gamification on LMS worksGamification doesn’t just make learning more fun – it also encourages learners to share their ideas with others. Picture this: Patricia heads to the area of her Learning Management System that is dedicated to sharing knowledge. Once she has selected the particular ‘Group’ she wants to join, Patricia heads in and reads about what her fellow learners have been up to.

One learner – Rachel Reader – has posted a question about the eLearning unit that Patricia just aced. Since she knows all about it, Patricia answers Rachel’s question… And whaddya know? Patricia just got some Experience Points for helping her out! She also begins her climb up the ‘Top Contributors’ leaderboard, a separate ranking from the main Learning Management System which shows the learners who have contributed most to helping their fellow learners improve their own knowledge. Basically, the higher you climb, the more of an expert you are in that subject.

It’s pretty great. By using gamification to reward learners for sharing their knowledge with others, learners are opened up to the possibility of learning new things. In fact, when sharing knowledge is rewarded, learning evolves in unique and unexpected ways.

Who knows what else Patricia and Rachel will learn today? The possibilities are endless!

Want to find out more about gamification? Come and visit us on stand E80 at the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition and see how gamification works in real life – there are a variety of badges up for grabs! If we’re half as busy as last year, you’ll probably want to book a slot to make sure you get to chat with us – click here to book a meeting with Growth Engineering.

Alternatively, you can sign up for a tour of our Academy Platform Learning Management System to see gamification in action!