Themes, Badges & Scores in Gamified E-learning- Motivate, Recognize & Evaluate Individual Performances at the Workplace

In today’s digital scenario, gamified e-learning is not merely converting things from the real world into games, but also applying them to real-world situations. It is a proven tool that helps increase interaction with organizational workforce for a longer span of time. For instance, badges and rewards are given to employees on achieving a certain level, providing recognition at the workplace for their improved skills, knowledge and expertise. Due to lack of learner participation and collaboration, a number of L&D teams are incorporating games to make learning full of fun and engagement.

Gamified learning can be adopted for both classroom-based and online training sessions. Although instructor-led training provides ample opportunities for direct interaction and effective exchange of new ideas, employees do not feel encouraged to attend them. So, the fun element is introduced in the form of mini games, engaging videos or short quizzes for an effective training experience. Different kinds of gaming elements that are included during a corporate training are:

▶ Setting a specific objective for learners to reach the next level. This helps to motivate learners to win the game and effectively apply what they have learned. So, games in e-learning prove to be engaging enough for the modern workforce, with a sole aim to boost their knowledge retention and workplace competency.

▶ In a classroom setting, two views- one for the instructor and other for the learner can also be set to automate the entire training process. A team leaderboard, a progress bar and a specific challenge, boost the overall collaboration between the instructor and the learners.

▶ Different themes can also be introduced to maintain the same level of excitement until the end. For instance, if the learner chooses a theme named as Forest or Island, some action needs to be performed like searching a hidden object to save the Princess or going through a crime scene to find the criminal.

▶ Static and random themes are used to boost an individual's capability to win the game. This helps to monitor the group of participants who reach the milestone first, earn badges or scores and reach to the next level.

▶ Some sense of motivation and recognition is built by rewarding employees with badges and scores on successful completion of a certain level.

▶ When players give the correct answer, they are immediately rewarded with badges to showcase their achievement and motivate them to play and learn more. 

▶ Individual achievement reflects the performance matrix of learners who participated in the game. It is quite popular among varied industry verticals because of their inclusion in the latest game-based sessions to deliver effective learning.

Today, e-learning is undergoing unexpected changes followed by the profound advances in technology and evolving learning needs. Most of the organizations are skeptical about the viability of gamified learning to motivate and engage their new-generation workforce. Gamification has served to be a great tool for innovation, improve learners’ workplace skills, boost their collaboration with the peers and retention level.

Game-Based Learning Engages Learners and Achieves Learning Objectives

Training and Learning in the workplace is being taken seriously more than ever now. L&D managers are always on the look-out to find ways and means to excite and engage learners into a training activity. In an instructor-led classroom there are many ways of engagement. But with the widespread adoption of technology-enabled learning, there is a strong need to find ways of engaged e-learning as well.

Game-based learning is now heralded as the new way of engaged learning – even for adults. It is a good way to engage the learners and achieve learning objectives set out by the organization as well.

• A popular misconception is that games are only effective for a young audience. Games have traditionally been created keeping the younger audiences in mind – who are more aligned to newer technologies and are open to explore more. L&D managers who procure e-learning services are often not sure if game-based learning will fit into their audience profiles – that include mid-level or high level executives.  There is now proof that game-based learning can be designed for older audiences also. If a game has enough challenges, learners of any age can enjoy and learn from it.

• Another misconception is that game-based learning cannot provide serious learning. Many learning games are built for serious learning as well. There are simulations that teach high-end medical procedures or flying skills to air pilots. For corporate training, quizzes on varied subjects can be built – where the learner can be challenged on different issues. In addition to sparking interest and creating a sense of competition, they hone the skills of assimilation and recall. Serious games can also be built with a small learning nugget that provides information or knowledge prior to the beginning of the game. This helps the learner get better prepared for the game as well as utilize the learning nugget to acquire knowledge – utilizing both mediums equally.

• Also, game-based learning is not always a costly proposition.
  
  Though building a game takes some amount of logical thought and time, games can be built within tight budgets as well. Simple inter-activities can be built with development tools like Flash, to engage the learner. Many free tools are also available on the internet that can help create simple games of learning like word-building, cross words and so on. Utilizing these, e-learning services companies can create games for corporate learning. A series of simple games can be created over time to provide sustained learning.

There are many benefits of game-based learning and once you get past the mind-block, organizations can utilize them to the fullest. Games can engage even the most reluctant learners. They can breathe in life into the most boring and mundane learning topics. Learners who are withdrawn in an actual classroom might open up in a competitive scenario like a game. Games provide instant learning benefit – as the learner engages with the game and learns from the experience. Assimilation is fast and knowledge gained can be utilized immediately.