Gamification in Virtual Classrooms: Enhancing Student Engagement through ICT Tools

Abstract

The increased adoption of the Information and communication technology (ICT) in the teaching-learning process has transformed the traditional teaching-learning processes, especially the virtual classroom. Gamification is one of these innovations and already become one of the tools that can be used pedagogically to maintain student motivation and enhance learning results. The paper will provide a summary of how gamification has been used in improving student interaction in the virtual learning settings in theory as well as in practice. Based on the constructivist and self-determination theory concepts, the analysis is conducted to determine whether the possibility to achieve the intrinsic motivation, co-operation, and persistence in online learning is possible using the components of a game: points, badges, leaderboard, and interactive challenges. The paper also concentrates on the applications of ICT that facilitate gamified experiences such as learning management systems which include in-built gamification capabilities, quiz-based applications and virtual worlds. The evidence of the case, provided under the circumstances of higher learning and school, suggests that gamification may be helpful in raising the level of attendance and attendance and the level of knowledge retention. In the meantime, such problems as overreliance on extrinsic rewards, inequality in access to the digital world, and the risk of distraction is also strongly judged. Based on the synthesis of the new results, the paper conjectures that the loss of engagement that is typically observed in online courses can be saved by applying a decent integration of gamification. It proposes a model that a teacher may use to construct gamified learning experiences that meet curriculum goals, assessment criteria and other learner needs. The analysis ascertains that gamification cannot be seen as an extension of the digital pedagogy but rather a game changer since it fundamentally alters the relationship between the students and the teacher in the ICT-mediated learning spaces. The future outlook also entails the necessity to conduct longitudinal studies on such an influence and the creation of open gamified services that could be used by learners with different socio-economic backgrounds.