scholarly journals Gamification during Covid-19: Promoting active learning and motivation in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 43-60
Author(s):  
Elvira G. Rincon-Flores ◽  
Brenda N. Santos-Guevara

Virtual teaching modalities urgently implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic require strategies to motivate students to participate actively in higher education. Our study found that gamification using a reward-based system is a strategy that can improve the educational experience under exceptional circumstances. This article reports the results of two gamified undergraduate courses (Calculus and Development of Transversal Competencies) designed with a reward system. The results derived from analyses of online surveys, the final grades, and their correlations revealed that gamification helped motivate students to participate actively and improved their academic performance, in a setting where the mode of instruction was remote, synchronous, and online. From the results we conclude that gamification favours the relationship between attention, participation, and performance, while promoting the humanisation of virtual environments created during academic confinement. Implications for practice or policy: Gamification using a reward-based system promoted active class participation and improved student performance after the transition from face-to-face to virtual instruction required as a result of the global pandemic. Systemic recognition in a reward-based system improved the participants' emotional states, reducing their anxiety and the feeling of isolation caused by the pandemic, and leading to student engagement with . Gamification works as an accompaniment for students to help the increasement of teacher-student and student-student interactions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Sergej Lackmann ◽  
Pierre-Majorique Léger ◽  
Patrick Charland ◽  
Caroline Aubé ◽  
Jean Talbot

Millions of students follow online classes which are delivered in video format. Several studies examine the impact of these video formats on engagement and learning using explicit measures and outline the need to also investigate the implicit cognitive and emotional states of online learners. Our study compared two video formats in terms of engagement (over time) and learning in a between-subject experiment. Engagement was operationalized using explicit and implicit neurophysiological measures. Twenty-six (26) subjects participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions based on the video shown: infographic video or lecture capture. The infographic video showed animated graphics, images, and text. The lecture capture showed a professor, providing a lecture, filmed in a classroom setting. Results suggest that lecture capture triggers greater emotional engagement over a shorter period, whereas the infographic video maintains higher emotional and cognitive engagement over longer periods of time. Regarding student learning, the infographic video contributes to significantly improved performance in matters of difficult questions. Additionally, our results suggest a significant relationship between engagement and student performance. In general, the higher the engagement, the better the student performance, although, in the case of cognitive engagement, the link is quadratic (inverted U shaped).


2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
MALEKA DONALDSON

In this portrait, Maleka Donaldson vividly illustrates how two teachers in real-world, public school settings convey their expectations for kindergarten student performance and set the tone for learning from mistakes and feedback. Research in psychology and education has established the benefits of corrective feedback on learning but has not closely examined how practicing teachers respond to mistakes made by young children during day-to-day instruction. Donaldson draws on extended observations of teacher-student interactions to juxtapose the two contexts and reveal divergent techniques that the participating teachers use to frame mistakes and correct answers during instruction. She compares these variations and considers how each teacher's pedagogical tools could be integrated into a mistake-response toolkit that could fundamentally reshape learning from mistakes for kindergarteners.


1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis J. Siebenaler

The purpose of this investigation was to identify and describe the characteristics of effective teaching in the piano studio. Thirteen piano teachers were videotaped with one adult student and one child student during three consecutive lessons each. An 8- to 12-minute segment showing work on a piece in progress was excerpted from each of the 78 lessons. Computerized observation procedures, designed specifically for this and related research, were used to record and analyze teacher behavior, student behavior, and lesson progress. Ten representative excerpts were evaluated by five expert piano pedagogues, who rated the teaching effectiveness observed in each. The expert pedagogues were generally reliable in identifying ineffective teaching, but were less reliable in assessing effective teaching. Correlational analyses were used to identify the lesson characteristics associated with effective and ineffective ratings. Relatively active teachers were ranked higher than were inactive teachers. Active teachers provided more modeling and gave more feedback. Student performance episodes generally were shorter among the more active teachers, and students of the more active teachers tended to perform mare successfully. The duration and pace of behavior episodes were important variables in discriminating among levels of instructional quality, with shorter episodes and, thus, faster pace associated with more effective teaching.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Rogers-Estable

Abstract This study analyzed current uses of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in higher education with the intent to better understand which tools teachers are using in the classroom. A total of 189 faculty in higher education from three western US universities were invited to participate, with 54 completing the survey. The survey included open-ended questions as well to offer an alternative analysis approach. In this study, the respondents claimed that the intrinsic factors of a lack of time and training were the main barriers to use, and reported positive views of Web 2.0 use in class, with 75% saying that these tools would benefit students and 83% saying they would benefit teacher-student interactions. In contrast to these results only 44% of the respondents used at least 4 of the 13 listed Web 2.0 tools with students. The reported uses did not match with the reported benefits, and this would support the results that extrinsic factors (time, training, support), instead of intrinsic factors (beliefs, motivation, confidence) are the main barriers to faculty in this study using more Web 2.0 in education. The top five Web 2.0 tools used, in order of preference, follow: (a) video sharing with tools like YouTube; (b) instant messaging; (c) blogs; (d) social communities, such as Facebook; and (e) podcasts or video casts. This data was originally submitted to the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education.


Author(s):  
Debora Herold ◽  
Tina Chen

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education during Spring 2020 by forcing all face-to-face classes to unexpectedly transition to online learning. To better understand how switching to remote learning affected students and the factors that impacted their ability to successfully complete classes, 168 undergraduate students in three different psychology classes (six sections total) were asked in the last week of the semester about their experiences from before and after the switch. Students reported some decreased access to technology, changes in work responsibilities, some amount of physical illness, and the need to care for others who were physically ill. Notably, students consistently reported increased stress and decreased ability to focus. Students varied in how much they prioritized classes after the switch, which predicted their performance in the class, measured by exam grade, overall grade, and completion of attendance before and after the switch. Importantly, survey respondents significantly differed from non-respondents in their class performance, which suggests that results from voluntary surveys may capture a limited perspective and possibly underestimate the detrimental effects of the shift to online instruction. Implications for planning for future online classes in a global pandemic are discussed.


The aim of this study is to develop a Social Media-based Online Collaborative Learning (SMOCL) instructional model for higher education that can systematically guide lecturers or teachers to create a suitable blend of individual online lectures and face-to-face collaborative learning activities. Using the ADDIE instructional design model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation), a theoretically constructed beginning model was repeatedly upgraded and undertaken internal validation through expert reviews, while External validation was performed with one-to-one with students, small group, and field trials. The implementation of SMOCL at the Islamic University of Indonesia designed by the final model resulted in notable amounts in student performance, attention, relevance, trust, and satisfaction. The results seem to suggest that the SMOCL model can be served to promote students' achievement in cross-cultural understanding


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-298
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Stokes ◽  
Dee U. Silverthorn

This paper describes how an anatomy and physiology laboratory class transitioned from a paper-based lab to an online learning platform that updated the curriculum to rely more on face-to-face small group collaboration and peer teaching. Student perceptions of the new format were positive, but halfway through the transition a global pandemic challenged the new instruction method. The face-to-face curriculum had to be adjusted to a virtual format that lacked in-person interaction between the instructor and the students. This switch to virtual labs had an adverse effect on both student perception and student performance in the second half of the semester. Our observations underscore the importance of creating an interactive community when teaching virtually.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy Tak Ming Wong

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of the mounting research work on learning analytics. Design/methodology/approach This study collects and summarizes information on the use of learning analytics. It identifies how learning analytics has been used in the higher education sector, and the expected benefits for higher education institutions. Empirical research and case studies on learning analytics were collected, and the details of the studies were categorized, including their objectives, approaches, and major outcomes. Findings The results show the benefits of learning analytics, which help institutions to utilize available data effectively in decision making. Learning analytics can facilitate evaluation of the effectiveness of pedagogies and instructional designs for improvement, and help to monitor closely students’ learning and persistence, predict students’ performance, detect undesirable learning behaviours and emotional states, and identify students at risk, for taking prompt follow-up action and providing proper assistance to students. It can also provide students with insightful data about their learning characteristics and patterns, which can make their learning experiences more personal and engaging, and promote their reflection and improvement. Originality/value Despite being increasingly adopted in higher education, the existing literature on learning analytics has focussed mainly on conventional face-to-face institutions, and has yet to adequately address the context of open and distance education. The findings of this study enable educational organizations and academics, especially those in open and distance institutions, to keep abreast of this emerging field and have a foundation for further exploration of this area.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 640-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio González ◽  
Paola-Verónica Paoloni

Research in chemistry education has highlighted a number of variables that predict learning and performance, such as teacher–student interactions, academic motivation and metacognition. Most of this chemistry research has examined these variables by identifying dyadic relationships through bivariate correlations. The main purpose of this study was to simultaneously investigate students' perceptions of teacher–student interactions (autonomy support), motivation (expectancy, importance, utility and interest), metacognitive strategies for problem solving (planning, monitoring and evaluation), and performance in chemistry. Measures were collected from 503 Spanish undergraduates (53.13% females) aged 18 to 36 years. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the hypothesized direct and mediated relations between these variables. First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided evidence of the robustness of the evaluation instruments. Second, perceived autonomy support positively predicted expectancy, importance, utility, interest, planning, monitoring, evaluation and performance in chemistry; motivational variables positively predicted metacognitive strategies and performance; and metacognitive strategies positively predicted performance. Moreover, all hypothesized mediated effects between variables were also supported. We conclude discussing the main findings of this study, highlighting their educational implications, acknowledging their limitations, and proposing lines of future research on chemistry education.


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