Adaptive Gamification for Learning Environments

(Scimago Q1, ATIEF A+)International audienceIn spite of their effectiveness, learning environments often fail to engage users and end up under-used. Many studies show that gamification of learning environments can enhance learners' motivation to use learning environments. However, learners react differently to specific game mechanics and little is known about how to adapt gaming features to learners' profiles. In this paper, we propose a process for adapting gaming features based on a player model. This model is inspired from existing player typologies and types of gamification elements. Our approach is implemented in a learning environment with five different gaming features, and evaluated with 266 participants. The main results of this study show that, amongst the most engaged learners (i.e. learners who use the environment the longest), those with adapted gaming features spend significantly more time in the learning environment. Furthermore, learners with features that are not adapted have a higher level of amotivation. These results support the relevance of adapting gaming features to enhance learners' engagement, and provide cues on means to implement adaptation mechanisms

MOTIVATION TO RESPOND ON STACK OVERFLOW Q&A WEBSITE

Abstract. The importance of using Q&A sites such as Stack Overflow and Code Project, etc. is obvious toeveryone in order to solve the potential problems of the developers. The objective of this research was to increase the participation rate and responsiveness of developers on Stack Overflow website by improving the gamification methods. To present the proposed solution, a tool called Stack Overflow Super Gamification (SSG) was proposed, which is an extension for Eclipse. The purpose of this extension is to create an ongoing competition and motivation among developers to participate in answering questions on Stack Overflow site. In this extension, the ranking practices for active users on the siteare improved so that the continuity of participation in the site will earn more privileges. Also, the ranking structure of the users with various nationalities who have gained privileges was used to create a motivation and competition among the developers of different countries. Rewards for users in this extension, for example, offering superior job opportunities based on higher privileges, as well as providing an opportunity to advertise products or businesses and demonstrate personalabilities and talent for free, will make them more willing to participate, and will provide the incentive to stay active on the site. The proposed solutions will not only provide more activities and answers to more questions, but also bring valuable achievements to developers active on the site. According to the evaluations, the performance of the proposed solution for motivating developers to participate and answer the questions on the Stack Overflow site is acceptable. Since the purpose of this strategy is to encourage developers to participate effectively on the site, the evaluation results clearly reflect theusefulness of this solution in motivating developers. The results indicate that while the developers are actively involved, the number of unanswered questions, as well as unacceptable responses is reduced, and in the meanwhile, the quality of the responses given is acceptable in terms of brevity, completeness, and accuracy.Keywords: Gamification, Motivation on Stack Overflow website, Q&A sites

A Design Framework for Adaptive Gamification Applications

The application of gamification does not always achieve the expected results due to the shortcomings of the quite common one size fits all approach of standard gamification concepts. We therefore propose a design framework that can inform systematic development of adaptive gamification applications. The developed framework draws on the current body of gamification literature, focusing on the emerging research stream of adaptive gamification. It provides design paths and design principles that translate the individual elements into concrete guidelines to assist the design practice. The framework has been successfully applied to the design and implementation of a prototype application using gamification to incentivize knowledge exchange on an existing online platform for physicians in practical medical training. The evaluation in a case study indicated positive user acceptance and increased system usage after the introduction of the developed adaptive gamification solution

A process for designing algorithm-based personalized gamification

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How gamification influences employees to be more productive: a meta-analysis

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementIn an increasingly competitive environment, companies are seeking to find competitive advantages, through new ways of working. Gamification has showed some proofs that can have an impact in performance in enterprise information systems context. Especially after a pandemic context and during a global crisis, finding motivation and engagement, when people find themselves apart from each other, can be a true challenge. The purpose of this work is to analyse the gamification impact on employees’ performance and productivity, relating employees’ motivation and engagement with the gamification implementation in enterprises. A meta-analysis was performed from previous quantitative studies connected to gamification implementation in enterprises. A total of 20 articles from the last 7 years were used as input for the meta-analysis. Strong constructs were found: behavioural intention, engagement, gamification consent, intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, performance. A motivated and satisfied employee is more productive in the workplace, therefore the research carried out provides a model that supports its main purpose: gamification influences employees’ engagement and performance

Developing an activity-based user interface for remote experimentation for science education in schools

As technology continues to expand at an exponential rate our lives become infinitely more connected and complex, this creates an opportunity however, in the form of more highly skilled professional roles on offer. To help address the projected demand in future roles, as well as Australia’s deteriorating graduation rate this project will aim to design, develop and evaluate a web-based user interface. The outcomes of this project were two fold; technical work to create the interface and integrate it with pre-existing remote experiments, as well as research based outcomes concerning the various teaching methods, motivations and requirements. As such the evaluation methods for both outcomes will derive a degree of completeness with validation occurring through both the functionality and feel but also in regards to any research results generated. The interface, known as the User Centered Activity System (UCAS) is beginning user testing currently and consists of the base pages required to access and complete activities. It is hoped that this interface will impart the requisite knowledge required for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning, whilst engaging and encouraging users aided by the addition of game-like elements

A survey on the design of gamified systems for energy and water sustainability

Abstract In a world affected by the constant growth and concentration of the population in urban areas, the problem of preserving natural resources has become a priority. A promising approach to resource conservation is demand management, i.e., the ability to positively influence the behaviour of the population towards more sustainable consumption. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have shown a great potential in influencing consumers’ behaviour, which could be exploited for the common good. However, the design of so-called persuasive systems for environmental purposes is a challenging task, because it cannot be based solely on the utilitarian motivation of users, but must be able to trigger a broader range of engagement factors deeply rooted in the human psychology. In this paper, we review the main design principles and models at the base of a class of persuasive system that exploits gamification and Games with a Purpose (GWAPs) to engage users towards sustainability; we identify the most commonly used incentive mechanisms for inducing behavioural changes; and present a selection of gamified systems for energy and water conservation. From such a survey, we distill design guidelines to be applied in the design of demand management socio-technical systems

Verkkokilpailun konseptointi : Case: Pesäpallon Itä–Länsi 2016

Suomalaisen pesäpallon Itä–Länsi-tapahtuma on vuosittainen Suomen parhaiden pesäpalloilijoiden kohtaaminen. Tapahtuma on järjestetty vuodesta 1932 lähtien. Yhden viikonlopun kestävä tapahtuma järjestetään eri kaupungissa vuosittain. Tänä vuonna tapahtuman järjestää Kouvolassa paikallinen Superpesis-seura Kouvolan Pallonlyöjät. Itä–Länsi-tapahtumassa pelataan B-poikien, B-tyttöjen, A-poikien, naisten Superpesiksen ja miesten Superpesiksen Itä–Länsi-ottelut. Itä–Länsi-tapahtuma on yksi seuratuimista urheilutapahtumista Suomessa. Tänä vuonna tapahtumalle odotetaan yli 15 000 katsojaa. Opinnäytetyön prosessi sai alkunsa kun opinnäytteen kirjoittaja kysyi Itä–Länsi-hankeyhtymän projektipäällikkö Harri Liekolalta tarpeita opinnäytetyölle. Alkuperäinen suunnitelma oli koostaa mobiilisovellus tapahtumalle, mutta idea hylättiin Itä–Länsi-hankeyhtymän palaverissa. Koska tarkoitus oli joka tapauksessa toteuttaa opinnäytetyö Itä–Länsi-tapahtumalle, alkuperäistä ideaa muokattiin. Uusi idea tuottaa verkkokilpailun konseptisuunnitelma syntyi helmikuussa 2016, jolloin prosessi lähti kunnolla käyntiin. Kaksiosaisessa verkkokilpailussa pesäpalloa seuraavat voivat äänestää oman 13 pelaajan joukkueen suomalaisten pesäpallosarjojen pelaajista sekä valita suosikkipelaajiaan todellisista Itä–Länsi-valinnoista. Idea hyväksyttiin, ja kilpailun suunnittelu ja kehittely alkoi helmikuun lopussa. Varsinaista kilpailun konseptisuunnitelmaa varten vertailtiin paljon erilaisia ohjelmia ja työkaluja, joilla voi rakentaa verkkolomakkeita. Prosessi sisälsi erilaisten olemassa olevien kilpailujen benchmarkkausta, eli vertailevaa suunnittelua, sekä erilaisten ominaisuuksien testaamista prototyypeillä. Kilpailun päänäkökulmat ovat käytettävyys sekä pelillistäminen, koska kilpailusta halutaan mahdollisimman käytettävä ja pelillisten elementtien lisääminen motivoi käyttäjiä osallistumaan kilpailuun. Suurin osa suunnittelutyöstä tehtiin maaliskuun aikana, ja konseptisuunnitelma koottiin valmiiksi huhtikuussa. Kilpailun koodaaja käyttää konseptisuunnitelmaa valmiin tuotteenFinnish baseball´s East–West-event is an annual meeting of the best Finnish baseball-players. The origins of the event go back to year 1932. The event takes one weekend annually in a different city. This year, the East-West-event will be arranged in Kouvola, by the local team Kouvolan Pallonlyöjät. The East–West-event consists of five All Star -games held between B-girls´, B-boys´, A-boys´, womens´ Superleagues´ and mens´ Superleague teams. In addition to the games, there will be lots of different sideshows and additional events, like musical performances. The East-West-event is one of the most popular sports events during the summer. The expectation for this year´s event is over 15.000 spectators. The idea to provide a thesis for the East-West-project started when the writer asked the project leader Harri Liekola if they had a need for digital media research or equivalent. First, the plan was to design a mobile application for the event. That idea got rejected in a meeting with the personnel of East–West-project on February. Because the plan was to make the thesis for the event, the topic of the thesis got modified a little bit. An idea came up to create a concept design of an online competition, where baseball fans could vote their 13-player Dream Team from the players of Finnish baseball leagues. The idea got accepted, and the development of the competition begun in the end of February. For the concept design lots of different options, platforms and software for compiling an online form, were compared. The process involved benchmarking and comparing different options to create game-like competition. The most functional parts and features were added to concept plan. The basis of the competition is similar to online form. Two main perspectives in the design of the competition were user-centered design and gamification since the competition was to be usable and the game-like elements were included to motivate the users. Most of the research was done during March, and concept was compiled on April. The coder of the competition uses the concept to create the functional online contest, which will be published during May

ΕΦΑΡΜΟΓΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΞΙΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣ ΑΓΩΓΗΣ ΣΤΑΔΙΟΔΡΟΜΙΑΣ «ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΩΝΤΑΣ ΔΕΞΙΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΑΝΑΖΗΤΗΣΗΣ ΣΤΑΔΙΟΔΡΟΜΙΑΣ»

Η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη εξετάζει την επίδραση ενός Προγράμματος Αγωγής Σταδιοδρομίας σε μαθητές Α΄ και Β΄ Λυκείου, σχεδιασμένο από τη γράφουσα. Η ανάγκη αυτής της μελέτης βρίσκεται στην έλλειψη ερευνών που να περιγράφουν ένα πρόγραμμα αγωγής σταδιοδρομίας και την επιτυχία ή όχι του σκοπού του. Στο κείμενο που ακολουθεί περιγράφεται το Πρόγραμμα Αγωγής Σταδιοδρομίας που εφαρμόστηκε και στηρίχθηκε στην Κοινωνικο-Γνωστική Θεωρία της Σταδιοδρομίας, εντάσσοντας στοιχεία Παιχνιδοποίησης. Για την αξιολόγηση του προγράμματος χρησιμοποιήθηκε ομάδα ελέγχου (μαθητές που δεν συμμετείχαν στο πρόγραμμα) και πειραματική ομάδα (μαθητές που συμμετείχαν στο πρόγραμμα). Όλοι οι μαθητές κλήθηκαν να απαντήσουν σε ερωτηματολόγια Επαγγελματικής Ταυτότητας, Κινήτρων, Επαγγελματικού Σχεδιασμού και Προδραστικής Προσωπικότητας πριν και μετά το Πρόγραμμα Αγωγής Σταδιοδρομίας, ενώ κατά την διάρκεια του προγράμματος συλλέγονταν πληροφορίες μέσω παρατήρησης. Σκοπός του προγράμματος ήταν η επαγγελματική ανάπτυξη των μαθητών. Τα βασικά ερευνητικά ερωτήματα της έρευνας αφορούν τη σχέση και τη διαφορά των παραπάνω μεταβλητών αξιολογούμενη πριν και μετά το πέρας του Προγράμματος Αγωγής Σταδιοδρομίας, τόσο στην ομάδα ελέγχου όσο και στην πειραματική ομάδα. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν πως υπάρχει διαφορά σε κάποιες από τις παραπάνω μεταβλητές με την πειραματική ομάδα να ωφελείται από το Πρόγραμμα Αγωγής Σταδιοδρομίας, σε σχέση με την ομάδα ελέγχου, ενώ φαίνεται πως κάποιες ασκήσεις σημείωσαν μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον από τους μαθητές και τους βοήθησαν περισσότερο. Τέλος, αναφέρονται προτάσεις για περαιτέρω έρευνες καθώς δεν είναι δυνατή η γενίκευση της συγκεκριμένης μελέτης σε περιοχές πέραν των Δυτικών Προαστίων της Αθήνας.This study examines the impact of a Career Counselling Program on students of 1st and 2nd High School class, designed by the author. The need for this study lies in the lack of research describing a curriculum and the success or not of its goal. The following text describes the Career Counselling Program that was implemented and based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, incorporating elements of Gamification. Control group (students, non participants in the program) and experimental group (students, who participated in the program) were used to evaluate the program. All students were asked to respond scales refer to Vocational Identity, Motivation, Career Construction and Proactive Personality, before and after the Career Counselling Program, and information was collected through observation during the program. The purpose of the program was to improve students' vocational development. The main research questions of the research concern correlation and difference of the above variables evaluated before and after the completion of the Career Counselling Program, both in control and experimental group. Results show that there is a difference in some of the above variables with the experimental group to get advantage from the Career Counselling Program in relation to the control group. While, it seems that students found some exercises more interesting and more helpful. Finally, proposals for further research are reported as it is not possible to generalize this study in areas beyond the Western Suburbs of Athens