Category: Gamification

Next week, my family and I will be taking a 4 hour trip to Pennsylvania. So today, I started thinking of fun games that we can play in the car to pass the time and quiet the constant “are we there yet?” questions. Never one to keep info to myself, I decided to share these games with families everywhere.

1. License Plate Game

Make a group effort to find tags from each of the 50 states. The person who calls out a state’s license plate first gets the point. The person with the most points at the end of the drive wins.

2. Trivia

While preparing for the trip, make a list of questions about your kid’s favorite subject and hobbies. Ask them these questions during the trip.

3. Questions 

Come up with “get-to-know-you” questions on the fly: What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done? You get the idea.

4. Phone

A child tells a story to someone else. That person whispers the same story to a third person, and so on. The final person to hear the story repeats it out loud so everyone can listen to it. Invariably, some of the stories will have been lost in the translation, and the resulting garbled message usually inspires a good laugh.

5. The Theme Songs

One individual hums the theme song to a TV show, and everyone else tries to name the show quickly. The first person to guess the name of the theme song hums the next song.

6. Name The Tune

Everyone turns singing a lyric to a tune. Everyone in the car attempts to guess the singer or title—bonus points if they get both!

7. Restaurant Race

Each player chooses a restaurant. Players earn points by finding their restaurant off the road, on a billboard, on exit markers, on signs, or by hearing it on the radio. Impose a time limit of 30 minutes, and then tally up the points.

8. Would You Rather? 

Try a game of “Would You Rather?” with everyone taking turns asking crazy questions to the group. For example, would you rather eat doughnuts or hamburgers for an entire day?

9. Categories

Select a broad category, such as cities, movie titles, boy/girl names, dinner foods, etc. Next, have people take turns naming items within the chosen type in alphabetical order. For example, if you select boy names, you could say Arnold, Bennett, Cameron, David, Ernie, etc. If a player doesn’t state their answer within 10 seconds or travel down the alphabet correctly, they automatically lose the game.

10. Roadtrip Sing-Off

The initial gamer begins by humming a couple of lines of a song. The following person jumps in to connect the lyrics with another song. Here’s an example: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you….” “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine; you make me happy.” “Happy birthday to you!”

When you think of corporate training, the term “fun” probably doesn’t come to mind. But with gamification, even the most mundane learning experience becomes more engaging.

And the benefits don’t stop there. Gamifying corporate training:

• Motivates employees with recognition and rewards
• Stimulates collaboration
• Makes important information more memorable
• Provides a way to measure progress toward learning objectives

In most cases, companies gamify training using custom built learning games, which can be expensive. You can also use free tools like Kahoot, which allows you to create competition-based assessments.

However you decide to gamify your corporate training, follow these seven strategies to ensure you do so effectively!

Establish specific learning outcomes.

Gamification is fun, but it shouldn’t only be fun. You also need to consider exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Ask yourself questions like:

• What do I want my employees to learn?
• How will gamification enhance their learning?
• How will I know that my employees have achieved mastery?

Knowing your goals and how you’ll measure them ensures that your participants aren’t just having fun—they’re also learning.

Design reward systems related to the real world.

Once your learners have mastered the desired content, you want this knowledge to translate into job performance.

One way to aid this translation is to implement in-game reward systems that are tangible, recognizable, and relatable. For instance, your training might involve participants selling a certain amount of products/services in order to win points.

Even better, the points your participants earn in the game might represent the amount of commission they would receive for these sales in real life. This cements the idea that the knowledge your participants are learning translates to real revenue for the company, plus dollars in their pockets.

Make gamification social.

Collaboration is one of the greatest benefits of gamification, so be sure to take advantage!

Make the experience as social as possible for your learners, whether this means forming teams, competing, displaying and discussing the leaderboard, etc. Some companies even integrate existing social media, like Facebook, into the game.

Harness the power of gamification to help your employees collaborate, enjoy a sense of camaraderie, and build relationships.

Make gamification challenging.

Ensure that your gamification is challenging enough to push your learners to the next level. Training that’s too easy will be ineffective and dull.

A challenging game is not only more effective, but it’s also more engaging.

Gamify induction and onboarding.

Induction and onboarding is notoriously boring, so this is one type of training you may want to gamify. Many companies now have new employees create a virtual identity and complete missions, each related to some element of induction and onboarding training.

You may even incorporate a dashboard with progress, achievements, a leaderboard, and so on.

Gamify skills training.

You can take a similar approach to gamifying skills training. Learners face virtual challenges, receive learning support, and gain badges or points at each level.

Of course, creating these custom built games is pricey. If you want to save money, you can also apply game mechanics to non-game activities. For instance, your learners can earn “XP” or “points” for completing certain tasks or mastering specific skills. You can have an in-office leaderboard to track progress and add a competitive aspect.

Gamify instructor led training (ILT).

The easiest way to gamify ILT is through gamified assessments, such as Kahoot! Kahoot! allows you to create your own quiz based on the key information that you want your learners to know.

Questions are displayed for a set amount of time (such as 20 seconds) while participants answer on their own devices. Points are awarded for both accuracy and speed, and a leaderboard is displayed after each question.

This basic service is free, but you can also upgrade to Kahoot! Pro, a new tool developed specifically for businesses.

Final Thought

If you want to make your next corporate training more engaging, motivational, collaborative, and memorable, try implementing the gamification strategies described here.

You’ll still reach your learning outcomes, but you’ll have much more fun in the process!

In a blended classroom, content is delivered using both traditional methods and online learning. Students have some degree of control over pace, path, and time.

This method fits perfectly with gamification: integrating game mechanics into non-game contexts. Game mechanics include points, rules, objectives, levels, and so on.

Benefits of Gamification in the Blended Classroom

Why are gamification and the blended classroom a match made in heaven? Let’s explore some of the benefits!

Motivation

Gamification gives students a goal to work toward, whether it’s winning a spot on the leaderboard, leveling up, or earning points and badges.

Done effectively, these rewards should also be tied to concrete learning objectives. This way, students are motivated to learn content, sometimes even independently and outside of school.

Customization

Most gamification tools allow students to move at their own pace, typically based on mastery. If a student quickly masters a level, he or she can quickly move on. However, a student who struggles may need to spend more time on the level before advancing to the next topic.

Assessment

Assessment is built into the majority of gamification tools. Usually, you can see data on your students’ progress as they move through the various missions or levels.

If a learner consistently fails a level or isn’t earning points and badges at the expected rate, you know that he or she may need some extra attention.

And thanks to the game-based reward system, your students can easily self-assess their progress as well. Gamification promotes independence and flexibility, qualities that are also prioritized in a blended classroom.

Gamification Tools for the Blended Classroom

Typically, gamification works best in a blended classroom when it involves independent, self-paced play. Some edtech tools that meet this requirement include:

Classcraft– In this fantasy-based game, students play as healers, mages, or warriors. After forming teams, they earn or lose points based on classroom performance and behavior. You can also have students “fight battles” against your existing questions.

Play Brighter– Students complete missions by answering questions correctly. You can input your own questions or choose from a bank of over 2,000. Students earn currency that can be used to customize their in-game avatars.

Minecraft: Education Edition– In a game world related to your content, students collaborate on projects, interact, and share portfolios. Although you can build your own world, there are pre-built worlds available with related lessons.

Of course, if these tools seem too complex, you can simply gamify your classroom using game-based terminology. This includes terms such as points, XP, and levels. You may wish to refer to assignments and activities as “missions” and award digital badges when your students “unlock” certain achievements.

Final Thoughts

Integrating gamification into your blended classroom helps students take ownership of their learning, increases student motivation, and provides measurable evidence of mastery.

Plus, your students will have fun and “buy in” to the content you’re teaching. After all, they have to meet your learning goals in order to earn badges or climb that leaderboard.