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2016 » Papers » Volume 1 » Gamifying Education 1. GAMIFYING EDUCATION Authors: Enache Liviu-Dragos, Pop Dragos Paul Volume 1 | DOI: 10.12753/2066-026X-16-076 | Pages: 523-528 | Download PDF | Abstract
There are flaws in the way that schools and universities teach today. This article describes an application that will try to ameliorate some of those flaws by using one of the biggest parts of entertainment we consume today...games. The application will use the principle of gamifying education in order to make teaching/studying more engaging and fun. The software will be developed for both desktop devices and mobile in order to make it accessible to everyone, teacher and student alike.
In order for this idea/application to work there is need for a world that suits a particular class to be created. This will be done by having the professor use the app to create the world and set its rules. The app will work as a creator/editor/tracker and manager software.Using the app he can decide how the "game" will be played and "won". Lee Sheldon associate professor and co-director of the Games and Simulation Arts program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute proposes we use an upside down grading method. The problem with grading now is that it is always counting down. All of the students start subconsciously with a 10 in every course, after this point every mistake they do is counted and deducted from their 10, this is demotivational for the student. The proposed change is to do as following, rename points to experience points (XP) and grades to levels, have all the students start at 0 XP and have them gain points for every assignment or test, it's more fun to win stuff than to loose. Lee Sheldon created a "new world" in which he "replaced" students with heroes, tests with bosses and any other teaching principle with a gaming term. In games we learn that leveling or progressing allows you to take on bigger and bigger challenges thus encouraging more progress.
With this new grading system in mind the world can be created. Using the application the professor can choose to use a default world and just tweak it to suit his class or start from scratch.
The teacher will name his world, choose its theme (sci-fi, ancient, etc.), will approve student names and avatars, manage the guilds (groups). Also he will decide on how the grading will work (decide on the number of xp needed to level up (reach a new grade) and on the number of methods to level up (achievements or other prerequisites). | Keywords
game, virtual reality, role play |
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