Implications of gamification for online education. A talk presented to the Speakers@Coursera series, July 2012.

1. GAMIFICATION AND
ONLINE EDUCATION
Prof. Kevin Werbach
werbach@wharton.upenn.edu / @kwerb
Coursera, July 2012
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION

2. 1 billion downloaders can’t be wrong!
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

3. …or 100,000 MOOCers!
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

4. The Mass Medium of the 21st Century
97% of U.S. kids 12-17
play videogames (Pew 2008)
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

5. We’re All Gamers Now
• Average videogame player is 30 years old
• 47% percent of videogame players are women
• China is the world’s largest online games market
• 44% of US/UK adults played a mobile game in the last month
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

6. can we
learn from
games
to help with
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

7. School is Already a Game… a Bad One
• Not so much fun (for many)
• Unclear win states
• Back-loaded feedback
• Poorly balanced
• Misalignment of faculty and student players
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

8. Gamification is…
The use of game elements and
game design techniques in
non-game contexts.
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

9. KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

10. Points
Resource Levels
Collection
Progression
Quests Avatars
Social Graph
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

11. Progression
Levels
Points
Rewards
Quests
Avatars Social Graph
Badges
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

12. In Education
FourSquare.edu?
Grading up
Choose your own
adventure (quests)
Continuous
feedback
Game frames
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

13. Would the Real Gamification Stand Up?
Behavior Games
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

14. Behavior Games
Marketing and economics Game design and psychology
Incentives Experiences
Satisfying needs Fun
Game elements (inductive) Game thinking (deductive)
Status Meaning
PBLs Puzzles
Rewards Progression
Making users do things Making players awesome
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

15. Applied to Education
Behavior Games
Scoring systems Narratives
Credentials Mastery
Motivating students Experimentation
Engagement Growth
Presentation MOOCs Connectivist MOOCs
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

16. Common Ground
Behavior Games
New pedagogy New pedagogy
Personalization Personalization
Empowering peer learning Empowering peer learning
Feedback Feedback
Analytics Analytics
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Kevin Werbach

17. Online Challenges/Opportunities
• Return of voluntariness = importance of onboarding
• Lack of interactivity puts a premium on engagement
• Large class sizes = >variability of students
• The player journey, within and across courses
• Collaboration outside time/space constraints
• Data, data, data
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Prof. Kevin Werbach

18. What’s Needed
• Edu gamification in a box
• Badge ecosystems
• Collected stories and
best practices
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Prof. Kevin Werbach

19. Notice any Differences?
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION Gamification / Prof. Kevin Werbach

20. thank you!
Prof. Kevin Werbach
werbach@wharton.upenn.edu
Twitter: @kwerb By Kevin Werbach & Dan Hunter
Wharton Digital Press (Fall 2012)
https://www.coursera.org/course/ http://gamifyforthewin.com
gamification
KNOWLEDGE FOR ACTION