The Guilded Classroom: Using Gamification to Engage and Motivate Undergraduates

There is a breadth of psychological research that points to potential cognitive benefits of game play. Games engage and motivate learners while promoting mastery of skills and content knowledge. Further, thoughtfully applying gaming elements and structures to classroom environments, an approach called gamification, has the potential to optimize learning. This paper discusses theory-driven classroom gamification innovations implemented in an undergraduate educational psychology course and uses a case study approach to understand how these changes impacted students’ in-class learning experiences in positive ways. We will discuss specific interventions, students’ perceptions of these interventions, instructor reflection of the effects on student learning outcomes, and implications for classroom practice.