Benefits of Gamification in eLearning

Students and the eLearning sector have benefited greatly from the introduction of gamification to education. Gamification allows learners to experience real-life challenges and scenarios in a safe, comfortable environment. This gives them a sense of personal experience before entering the work space.

Let’s explore how Gamification benefits the learner and enhances the eLearning experience.

Defining Gamification for eLearning

In eLearning, Gamification is not just about ‘gaming’ or being competitive. Gamification in eLearning is about applying the concept of game-design to a non-game application. It is a concept based on gaming technology that is applied to specific learner content, designed to meet particular learning outcomes.

Gamification Statistics

Below are some insightful statistics that prove the importance of Gamification in eLearning:

• By the age of 21, many males will have spent over 10 000 hours absorbed in online gaming. This shows that society will be used to gaming, and it will be part of their daily lives. Gamification in education is just another logical step.
• By the end of 2014, 70% of Global 2000 companies offered at least one Gamification application.
• More than 50% of organisations that offer innovative processes offered gamification in 2015. This number continues to grow.

How Gamification enhances eLearning

If we break it down to the fundamentals, successful learning is made up of three elements:

• 70% of learning comes from real-life experiences and on the job experiences. Therefore, Gamification is imperative to the learning process. It provides learners with hands-on experience in a non-work environment. Allowing them confidence and experience upon entering the work environment.
• 20% comes from feedback, observing and working with role-models and peers.
• 10% of successful learning comes from formal education and training.

Taking the above into account, Gamification provides an effective way to enhance learning.

This is because of the following features

• Allows for friendly competition
• Provides a sense of achievement, confidence and pride
• Provides an engaging and interactive learner experience, leading to a positive change in workplace behaviour.
• Encourages learners to progress and grow through content, motivate action, and influences behaviour positively.

The Benefits of eLearning Gamification

A Better Learning Experience

Learners experience a sense of excitement and fun during the ‘game’ while still learning. A well-designed gamification strategy, with high levels of engagement, leads to increased recall and content retention.

Improved Learning Environment

Gamification in eLearning offers an informal and effective learning environment, helping learners practice real-life situations in a safe environment. This makes the learner more engaged and facilitates more information retention.

Instant Feedback

Gamification in eLearning provides instant feedback. This kind of instant communication facilitates learner engagement and once again, greater recall and retention of knowledge.

Prompting Change in Behaviour

Leader boards, badges, and points make training fun! However, this is just the surface level of Gamification. Gamification in eLearning promotes powerful behavioural change. This is combined with scientific principles of repeated retrieval and spaced repetition.

Applied to most Learning Requirements

Gamification can fulfill most learning requirements and needs including: induction, product sales, customer support, soft skills, and compliance.

Impacts the Bottom Line

Due to all of the aspects mentioned above, and the positive change in behaviour that occurs with Gamification, there will be a significant performance gain within organisations that make use of Gamification eLearning for their staff.