Exploring the Impact of Gamification in Flipped Classrooms: Conclusion and References

Table of Links

• Abstract and Introduction
• Course information
• Motivation and intervention
• Findings
• Discussion
• Conclusion and References

6 Conclusion

The results we present here are in line with previous research (for example [Lo and Hew, 2017], [Buckley and Doyle, 2016], [Dahlstrøm, 2012]) and show a stark increase in student engagement with pre-lecture activities on a course taught in flipped mode. As the pre-lecture activities of interest were quiz-based - with points awarded for attempting the quizzes on time rather than quiz score - we were able to investigate whether the increased engagement was meaningful or the result of students ‘gaming’ the leaderboard. In our study, there was no evidence of the latter.

It is thought that the two statistics courses considered here are the only time the students came across the Level Up! plugin or other form of gamification. It is therefore not known whether the increased engagement is due to the novelty of a leaderboard and whether gamification would be as successful if implemented widely across multiple courses.

The significant increase in student engagement after the adoption of a gamification strategy is certainly worthy of further research. Though the results from the gamification intervention were very positive, student engagement is still far from perfect. Diversity in teaching and learning approaches is surely the key to engaging students across their courses, with gamification a valuable strategy in a teacher’s toolbox.

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