Gamificação no ensino superior em ciência da computação: Uma revisão sistemática da literatura

Gamificação é a prática de aplicar elementos e princípios de jogos emambientes não relacionados a jogos. Esse recurso tem sido amplamente utilizado no ensino superior em diferentes áreas do conhecimento, incorporando elementos de elearning com gamificação, com o objetivo de melhorar a qualidade do ensino. Esta pesquisa, por meio de uma revisão sistemática da literatura, discutirá a eficácia da gamificação, seus benefícios e como ela vem sendo aplicada no âmbito da Ciência da Computação. A partir da revisão realizada foi verificado que a maioria das publicações apresentou resultados positivos com a gamificação, principalmente no engajamento e na motivação dos estudantes. Contudo, em alguns casos, foi identificada uma diminuição dos benefícios em longo prazo, dependente da forma como a prática é aplicada

Gamified Coding Platforms and Student Motivation: An Investigation into Motivation and Academic Performance in Computer Programming Students

Students taking computer programming classes face several serious challenges: learning the syntax, problem solving, and interacting with new interfaces. In order to meet these challenges, instructors have been using Gamified Coding Platforms such as Codewars.com which offer students the opportunity to gain points, see other solutions, and practice in an online environment without the need to install extra software. The study seeks to build a psychological profile of students by measuring their intrinsic motivations along with their extrinsic motivations in the computer programming classroom. The surveys used for the intrinsic and extrinsic measures are based on the self-determination theory, which is also often used in the study of gamification. Additionally, students were questioned about goal setting, their perceptions of their instructor, and demographic questions. The dependent variable in question was the level of student engagement, which was based on the National Survey of Student Engagement. The initial pilot study involved 74 participants and the main study involved 159 completed student responses. A linear regression model was completed to examine the direct effects of the predictors on the dependent variable. Two components of intrinsic motivation: perceived competence and a greater desire to experience stimulation had a positive effect on student engagement. Additionally, students who perceived a greater instructor investment in their lives had a significant effect on student engagement. The study highlights the importance of the role of the instructor and intrinsic motivations to encourage student engagement. The insights from the study can be used to increase student engagement by encouraging instructors to show a greater interest in their students studying computer programming

A Phenomenological Study of Teachers\u27 Experiences with Educational Gamification and its Impact on Student Engagement in the Middle School Math and Science Classroom

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand digital gamification and its effect on student engagement based on the lived experiences of middle school math and science teachers in rural schools in the southeast region of the United States. Nick Pelling’s gamification theory guided the study herein. Gamification theory served as a tool to alter learner engagement which impacted instruction and learning. I used a criterion-based purposeful selection of 10 middle school math and science teachers with gamification experience. Participating teachers had three or more years of teaching experience and taught in regional rural schools. The hermeneutical phenomenological study resulted in the themes of gamification elements on student engagement, planning gamification lessons, and obstacles to gamification. The lived experiences of middle school math and science teachers positively addressed the gap in the correlation between gamification and enhancing student engagement

Indicators for enhancing learners’ engagement in massive open online courses: A systematic review

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have paved a new learning path for the 21st-century world. The potential to reach a massive geographically dispersed audience is one of the major advantages of MOOCs. Moreover, they can be offered on a self-paced and self-regulated basis and have become an integral part of lifelong learning, especially in workplaces. However, one persistent problem is the lack of learners’ engagement. A harmonisation of studies providing a holistic view into aggregating indicators for enhancing learners’ engagement in MOOCs is lacking. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated MOOC adoption, and learners’ engagement in MOOCs has become even more essential for the success of this educational innovation. We examine the existing literature to derive indicators important for enhancing learners’ engagement in MOOC learning environments. Using a systematic approach, 83 empirical studies were examined, and 10 indicators were identified as important considerations for enhancing learners’ engagement while designing MOOCs—from initiatives for individual learners to platform and instructional design perspectives. We also present a table describing these indicators and offer a structured discussion on each one. We believe the results provide guidelines for MOOC designers and instructors, educational policymakers, higher education institutions, and MOOC engagement researchers.Peer reviewe

Gamification Design in Self-Paced Online Courses for Adult Learners:A Mixed Methods Study

This convergent mixed methods study examines the gamification implementation of seven self-paced online professional development courses focusing on adult learners. The quantitative and qualitative data used in this work was derived from three sources: a survey of 741 participants in gamified online courses, course records exported from the Learning Management System (LMS), and follow-up interviews conducted with 36 participants. The results from the integrated data analysis reveal an overall positive attitude among the participants toward the gamification implementation. However, there was a mixed view on various game elements. For example, game elements belonging to the aesthetics category in the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework received the highest ratings, followed by those in the dynamics category, while the ones in the mechanics category received the lowest ratings. Through the quantitative comparison of various demographic clusters using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H test, also called the one-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) on ranks, this study revealed that learners' perspectives on gamification are similar overall across demographic groups, with a few exceptions. Course-related factors, such as the length, type, and cost of the course, highlighted more significant differences than learner-related factors, such as gender, age, job profile, and nationality. The quantitative analysis records also indicated that participants' perception of game elements did not correlate with their course engagement and performance data, with a few exceptions. Analysis of the qualitative data gathered from the interview and survey comments yielded six categories pertaining to participants' perceptions of gamification: psychological, andragogical, technical, instructional design, user experience and game design. Based on the study results, I developed a gamification strategy framework demonstrating the multilayer interconnected relationship among the various disciplines associated with gamification design. This gamification strategy framework can offer instructional designers and developers with some insights and considerations while designing and implementing gamification in self-paced online courses for adult learners

IMPROVING PEER LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN STEM COURSES VIA PATTERN BASED GRAPH VISUALIZATION

High quality education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors expects not only the acquisition of comprehensive domain knowledge, but also the mastery of skills to solve open-ended and even ill-defined problems in real world. Problem-based Learning (PBL) is usually adopted to achieve such goals by encouraging students to learn by solving real-life problems. However, successful PBL requires sustained and in-depth involvement of faculty members, hence making PBL not scalable. Even though discussion forums and Q&A systems can help address the scalability problem of faculty involvement on large class sizes, it introduces new problems. First, as knowledge bases grow in size, the sheer size of the accumulated knowledge makes it harder to locate the desired information. Second, existing knowledge discovery techniques do not provide effective facilities for the capture and reuse of solutions to recurring problems. To address these challenges, we developed MicroBrowser, an innovative and interactive Question & Answer (Q&A) system augmented with pattern-based expertise-sharing interfaces and 2D knowledge graph discussion visualization. MicroBrowser provides a set of pattern-based expertise-sharing interfaces to allow both learners and instructors to refine, reuse, and share knowledge. MicroBrowser also allows learners to browse and navigate important discussions based on topic similarity encoded by node proximity in a knowledge graph. Results of empirical evaluations of our proposed solution show that ask difficulty improves with MicroBrowser when compared with a state-of-the-art Q&A system for knowledge discovery and reuse tasks. In addition, success rate for knowledge discovery tasks using keywords was higher with MicroBrowser. Moreover, we show that, students found the pattern-based expertise-sharing interface easy to use and were able to contribute new knowledge in the form of new knowledge connections and even recommend new design patterns

101UP: Implementation of a Gamified Curriculum to Increase Self-Regulated Learning Skills and Motivation for at-Risk Students in a First-Year Experience Course— an Action Research Study

The transition to college from high school is significant for at-risk students, especially as they tend to struggle with self-regulated learning skills when trying to adapt to the university environment. In an attempt to mitigate this challenge and assist students with this transition, many universities offer first-year experience courses. Nationally, however, a quarter of freshmen students still drop out before their sophomore year. The purpose of this action-based research study was to evaluate the implementation of a gamified curriculum for at-risk students enrolled in a university first-year experience course. The first research question in this study explored how and in what ways the implementation of a gamified curriculum impacted at-risk students’ self-regulated learning skills. The second question explored how and in what ways the implementation of a gamified curriculum impacted at-risk students’ motivation. The third question examined at-risk students’ perceptions about the gamified curriculum on the quality of their learning experience. This seven-week action research study incorporated a gamified curriculum designed to increase self-regulatory learning skills (goal setting, strategic planning, task strategies, self-instruction, help-seeking, and metacognitive monitoring) and motivation (choice, control, collaboration, challenge, constructing meaning, and consequences) for 10 academically at-risk students enrolled in a first-year experience course. I analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to include the Learning and Study Strategy Inventory (LASSI) instrument, journal reflection assignments, a Final Self-Reflection Learning Quest, gamification elements, and learning management system (LMS) metrics. The LASSI pretest and posttest results were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics including a series of paired sample t-tests. Findings from this study indicated that although only one subscale of the LASSI, Self Testing, was found to be statistically significant, correlations were found between various gamification elements and the subscales of Information Processing, Concentration, and Using Academic Resources. Additionally, as a result of various cycles of coding and the emergence of themes, findings suggested that students perceived the gamified curriculum as helping to improve their academic mindset, study habits, and motivation, all while making their learning easier. Implications for instructors considering the implementation of a gamified curriculum and future areas of research are offered

Influence of employer support for professional development on MOOCs enrolment and completion: Results from a cross-course survey

Although the potential of open education and MOOCs for professional development is usually recognized, it has not yet been explored extensively. How far employers support non-formal learning is still an open question. This paper presents the findings of a survey-based study which focuses on the influence of employer support for (general) professional development on employees’ use of MOOCs. Findings show that employers are usually unaware that their employees are participating in MOOCs. In addition, employer support for general professional development is positively associated with employees completing MOOCs and obtaining certificates for them. However, the relationship between employer support and MOOC enrollment is less clear: workers who have more support from their employers tend to enroll in either a low or a high number of MOOCs. Finally, the promotion of a minimum of ICT skills by employers is shown to be an effective way of encouraging employee participation in the open education ecosystem.JRC.J.3-Information Societ