Transforming a traditional class into an innovative gamified class: Lessons learned from a teacher's perspective

Abstract

Course delivery in higher education has evolved substantially over the previous decade. A key driver of change has been information technology innovations that enable greater access to learning materials, teacher to student connectivity, and also student to student connectivity. These developments clearly bring pedagogical and learning advantages, reducing the time-and-space limitation. In this study, we will introduce our experience of transforming a traditional information management course into an innovative gamified course. The target information management course is a core (i.e., compulsory) course in an undergraduate program. The duration of this course is ten weeks. Results showed that gamification can combine a range of features including: the establishment of an active community of practice; incentivization based on virtual rewards to those who participate often and effectively; and peer learning in a collaborative and engaging, yet competitive environment. We will share the reasons for converting the traditional information management course into a gamified course, guidelines to converting this course, evaluation of the gamified course from the instructor’s perspective, and the challenges and potential enhancements for the gamification journey.