D2L GamificationLeveraging the Tools Already at Your Disposal

Vincent King-Spezzo

• Senior Online Instructional Designer for Valdosta State University's Center for eLearning.• Trainer, LMS Admin, Instructional

Design consultant, all around tech guru.

• Teach completely online, hybrid, and video synchronous courses.

• Education: Currently ABD in Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.S in Instructional Technology, MS in I-O Psychology.

• Loves games and gaming (board, card, video, doesn’t matter).

1. Go to http://tinyurl.com/oa97kvl

2. You will be asked a series of numbered questions that correspond to slides marked with and followed by a number.

3. Choose your answer to the question and click the “Next” button. If you are right, you will advance to the next question. If you are wrong, it’s game over.

Let’s play a game.

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• Get all the questions right, and you win!• Win and you get a badge!• Be vigilant as I go through the presentation, not

all question blocks are easy to spot.• Play fair. No cheating or answer sharing please.• You will need the slide to answer the question

(unless you are a really good guesser).• If you miss even one you are out.

Rules and Tips

Gamification 101Brief Background on the Basics

Gamification is…• The process of making non-game activities more

fun and engaging.• Using game theories and mechanics to motivate

non-game behaviors. • “A careful and considered application of game

thinking to solving problems and encouraging learning, using all the elements of games that are appropriate”.-Karl Kapp

Definitions (I’ve Got a Few)

• Use of game elements and game design techniques in non-game contexts• Game elements

• Parts of the game: Points, Badges Leaderboards, Achievements, Avatars, Levels, Quests, Rewards, Teams, Boss Fights, etc.

• Game design techniques• Think like a game designer: Goals=Challenges,

Participants=Players, Instruction=Tutorial, etc.

Core Definition

Example: My Coke Rewards

• Points• Collecting (Coke caps)• Rewards (with levels)• Quests (double points

and bonus days)

• Goal: Enter points, get rewards

• Real Goal: Drink more Coke!

The three most effective and commonly used game elements are Points, Badges, and Leaderboards.

PBL: The Gamification Trinity

Points Badges Leaderboards

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Points

Numerical units that can be used to represent anything. They are a way to understand and connect the player’s actions to the game.• Drive users to participate in activities

• Weighting points (giving more or less) around specific activities can motivate players to participate in those activities

• Way to keep score

• Can determine win states

• Can be tied to rewards

• Provide feedback

• Display user progress

• Data for game designer

Badges

Representations of achievements or accomplishments in the game system. Usually graphical in nature.• Flexibility in what they represent

• Not just badges for points or levels

• Convey style or themes

• Indicate what the game designer considers important

• Can add variety to game play

• Motivate players to collect them all

• Can be used as credentials (i.e. diploma)

• Social display (status symbols)

Leaderboards

Area that displays the names and current scores, points, and/or levels of the leading competitors.• Ranking

• Lets players know where they stand in relation to others

• Helps establish competition

• Provides feedback on competition

• Can be negative• Capable of de-motivating players if they

think they are too far behind

• Personalized leaderboards• Compare to people they know, set

regions, based on certain status, etc.

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• Need more than just PBL for game elements. • Core elements and widely used, but you need more

for a robust gaming system that players will continue to engage with.

• The elements are not the game.• Elements are the blocks, game design is the glue.

• It’s more than just about the reward.• If reward was enough, you wouldn’t need the game.

Just Scratching the Surface

• Onboarding - Getting the player into the game quickly and easily. (i.e. tutorials, guides, practice, etc.)

• Scaffolding - Slowly ramping up complexity and difficulty. (i.e. leveling up requirements, unlockable areas, etc.)

Some Advanced Concepts

• Grinders - Repetitive task that allows players a chance to earn a few points in large or even unlimited amounts. (i.e. slaying dungeon rats, farming, etc.)

• Boss Fights - One time or limited events that present a greater challenge. Usually occur right before reaching another level.3

Gamification System for D2LTools You Can Use Already in Your Favorite LMS

What? • Gamified course extra credit

Why? • Increase students participating in extra credit• Make extra credit completed throughout the

semester instead of all at the end• If it failed, it didn’t ruin the class

Gamification Rationale

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• Goal: Earn up to 5% extra credit on final grade• Points: Earned throughout semester via in class

activities, optional assignments, Pop-Questions, etc.

• Levels: 5 points = Level 1 - Worth 1% Extra Credit15 points = Level 2 - Worth 2% Extra Credit30 points = Level 3 - Worth 3% Extra Credit50 points = Level 4 - Worth 4% Extra Credit

100 + points = Level 5 - Worth 5% Extra Credit

My Gamification System

• Progress Status: Two columns found in gradebook. One with point total and one with current level.

• Badging: Receive email with badge when reaching a new level.

• Leaderboard: Updated weekly (or more). Displayed as top 5 in News widget.

• Top Scoring Student: Student with highest point total will receive the ability to create one of the essay questions that will be on the final exam.

My Gamification System

• Variety in game play = Different types of activities• Pop-Questions

• Short answer and/or opinionative• Range of points• Used for onboarding and early scaffolding

• Optional Assignments (Boss Fights)• Harder, higher level thinking, more work involved• Large amount of points earned• Bonus points for speed and/or quality

• Grinders• Repetitive task with simple rules• Low point value• No point cap

Earning Points

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• Activities for points completed in Discussions• One board per Grinder/Pop-Question• Easy to setup start/end times• Easy to count points for Grinders• Student can see competition

• Announced new opportunities via News widget• Students who turned on notifications received edge

in timed events.

D2L Tools Used for Points

• Point totals/progress • Gradebook column• Updated manually• No different than grading

• Levels• Grade scheme• Automatically changes as

column is updated• 1 level = 1%

D2L Tools Used for Points

• Badges• Sent through email• Contained simple graphic and encouraging text• Inserted file with image for download/printing

• Intelligent Agent• Sends email automatically• Based on point total grade column• 1 agent per level• Scalable to include many different activities

D2L Tools Used for Badges

• Leaderboard• Created News item • Once a week minimum update• Listed top 5 with names, levels, and points

• For top 5, just sort the point column in Gradebook

• Also used to congratulate people who reached level 5

D2L Tools Used for Leaderboards6

Intelligent Agent Checks and Sends

Badge

D2L Tools Flow

Points Entered

Into Grade

Column

Announce Opportunities

via News

Updated Leaderboard as

News item

Grade Scheme Displays LevelStudents

Earn Points

• Instructions• Modeled board game instructions• Used for all optional assignments, Pop-Questions,

and Grinders• Clearly communicates

• Goal• Rules• Point Values

What else can gaming teach us?

Case Study: Intro to PsychologyHow it Went, What Worked, and What Wrecked

Class Description Student Statistics• Entry level undergraduate

Psychology course

• Core curriculum class

• Required for some majors

• Met twice a week, 5:30pm-8:15pm

• Short term, 2nd half of the semester

• 15 total students

• Mixture of majors including some Psychology

• Majority Freshman

• 1 student on probation

• 3 students considered at risk

Intro to Psychology

Extra Feature1 student connected as a distance learner via video conference technology

• In general students seemed to react well• About half started right away• All participated in the end• Not many questions

• Specific players• Distance learner was highly competitive at first• Probationary student completed most of the

activities

Observed Gaming

• Grinder creation• Didn’t start out with them• Added around midterm• Became very popular for players• Helped players compete better• Ensured players could level up

Observed Gaming 7

• Competition• Clearly viewable with leaderboard and grinders• Student dropped from top 5;

the next week they were #1

• Sniping for the win• Winner of highest total was in 4th place with 104 points • 1 hour before class, they made 100 points on a Grinder• 2nd place stated “I didn’t like making memes, but if I had

seen that ‘they’ were doing that many I would have made a bunch more”

Observed Gaming

Hi Score = 206 points (only needed 100 for level 5)

4 students finished at level 5 (all over 100 points)3 students finished at level 41 students finished at level 36 students finished at level 20 students finished at level 1

1 student finished with some points, but did not reach level 1

Final Standings

• Who it actually impacted?• Only 2 letter grades actually changed

• 1 B to an A and 1 C to a B • Extra credit work actually more work/harder than

regular class work

Extra Credit Criticism

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• Conducted after final standing• Anonymous• Forced 4 point scale• Highly Agree - Highly Disagree• Separated from Student Opinion of Instruction

Survey Data

Agree13%

Highy Agree88%

Survey DataI enjoyed the extra credit system used in this class.

Agree22%

Highy Agree78%

Survey DataI found the extra credit system easy to understand.

Agree38%

Highy Agree63%

Survey DataI thought there were enough opportunities to earn Extra Credit points.

Disagree22%

Agree44%

Highy Agree33%

Survey DataI would have participated in the extra credit even if we used a

different method to earn and track extra credit.

Agree25%

Highy Agree75%

Survey DataI felt like this was a good system for extra credit that I would like to

see it used in my other classes.

Agree40%

Highy Agree60%

Survey DataI felt motivated to reach the next level of EC credit.

Disagree13%

Agree63%

Highy Agree25%

Survey DataI felt motivated to have the most EC credit at the end of the class.

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• “The extra credit tasks were both fun and informative.”

• “This extra credit system was different than any other way I've received points. I liked how students were competing for the most points.”

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• “More professors should use this technique. It is very helpful”

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• “I liked the opportunities to have an unlimited amount of posts.”

Survey Comments at a Glance

Critical Hits Fumbles• Intelligent Agent skipped

some levels initially

• Didn’t Badge non-point/ non-level items

• Onboarding

• “The only thing I'm frustrated is that I missed several pop-quizzes because I was not alerted”

Roll: Success v Failure

• Gaming system in general

• Level of complexity

• Level of engagement

• Competition fostered

• Kinds of activities

• Rewards

• Grinders

What’s Next?

• Better onboarding• More Grinders early on• More Levels (.5% each perhaps)• Scheduled and Random encounters• More updates to the Leaderboard• Update Badging

Next Time On Gamification

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• Include for events/actions and not just specific levels/points

• Have hidden/rare Badges• Add way to display Badges• Consider incorporating an external Badging

system (ie Credly)• Can still use Intelligent Agents

Updating Badges

• Platforms just for gamifying a classroom• Adding a Mythos or story to Gamification system

• Class Craft• Does it have to be “fun”

• Cow Clicker

What Others are Exploring

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Questions