Identifying Game Elements Suitable for MOOCs

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have increasingly become objects of research interest and studies in recent years. While MOOCs could be a means to address massive audiences, they suffer from high drop-out rates and low user engagement. Gamification is known as the application of game design elements in non-gaming scenarios to solve problems or to influence a user’s behaviour change. By applying gamification to MOOCs, we aim to enhance users’ engagement and goal achievement within a MOOC environment. To define our gamification strategy, we asked 42 experts in the fields of game design, learning science and technology-enhanced learning to rate 21 selected game design patterns according to their suitability within a MOOC environment application. The data collected allowed us to identify a set of nine game design patterns as promising candidates to be tested in MOOC environment

Building cloud applications for challenged networks

Cloud computing has seen vast advancements and uptake in many parts of the world. However, many of the design patterns and deployment models are not very suitable for locations with challenged networks such as countries with no nearby datacenters. This paper describes the problem and discusses the options available for such locations, focusing specifically on community clouds as a short-term solution. The paper highlights the impact of recent trends in the development of cloud applications and how changing these could better help deployment in challenged networks. The paper also outlines the consequent challenges in bridging different cloud deployments, also known as cross-cloud computing

Effect of Gamification on Intrinsic Motivation

Gamification has been increasing in popularity in a variety of online context, including online learning. However, its impact on intrinsic motivation is still unclear. In this research, we carried out an experiment to assess the impact of providing two gamification features in an online learning system — point and leaderboard — on intrinsic motivation

Flow and the Art of ERP Education

As ERP systems have become a part of most organizations, universities have responded by incorporating these systems into their curriculum. This research looks at how the use of a simulation game can be used to enhance student learning through student engagement and learning intentions. Drawing upon flow literature and expectation-confirmation theory, this study presents an Attitude Change Model of game-based ERP Learning. In particular, this study focuses on how student immersion influences satisfaction and attitude change in ERP learning