Do points, badges and leaderboard increase learning and activity: A quasi-experiment on the effects of gamification

Abstract

Gamification is the integration of game-like design elements into non-game context to engage people, motivate action, and solve problems. In tertiary educatio n, researchers and practitioners have been seeking for effective ways to improve student engagement and promote learning. In this study, we conducted a quasi-experiment at the University of Hong Kong to examine the effects of gamification on student learning and engagement. Quantitative data from control group and treatment group, such as pre-test and post-test scores, participation rate, extra-assignment scores, were collected and analyzed. Results suggest that gamification strategies, aligned with instructional objectives and user context, are effective in improving student participation and encouraging extracurricular learning. Future research directions, on the effective use of gamification strategies, are discussed and suggested in the conclusion part.