Digitalization in Education: Gamification

Shobha Maharjan
Masters in Pedagogical Science
Nepal Open University

Gamification is rapidly becoming a major trend across multiple sectors, including education. Defined as the application of game-like elements to non-game contexts (Huotari & Hamari, 2017; Deterding et al., 2011), gamification has been a topic of interest in both industry and academic circles since its rise in the early 2010s. In particular, its potential to enhance educational experiences has garnered significant attention (Koivisto & Hamari, 2017; Seaborn & Fels, 2015).

Educators today are increasingly adopting gamification to engage and motivate learners, facilitating a more effective and interactive learning environment. This approach encourages creativity, active participation, and transformative learning, while also providing tangible evidence of skill development.

Gamification is a soft skill-oriented teaching learning process that focuses on integrating fun, learner-centered activities to enhance learners by engaging and motivating them through self-participation. While implementing gamification, students are empowered to change behaviors, reflect, and construct knowledge for themselves via participative approach in learning. However, successful use of gamification requires educators to understand the critical role students play in their own development through these interactive, self-driven learning methods. Additionally, it supports the growing demand for online learning communities by leveraging technology to encourage collaboration and unlock the full potential of education.

In Nepal, many schools continue to rely on traditional, teacher-centered teaching methods, often excluding the use of gamification. These school face significant challenges, particularly in rural and sub urban areas, where access to technology, multimedia resources, and internet services is limited. Additionally, political and economic instability in the country makes it difficult for schools to acquire the necessary resources in a timely manner. The country’s geography further complicates infrastructure and technical advancements, making it difficult to create the right environment for learning. Despite these, educational leaders and teachers can adapt gamification as a learner centered teaching approaches promoting a student’s participation in learning providing required resources to increase the efficiency and effectivity of learning process. It will help teachers to provide a learning environment that helps to expand the conceptual background of the learner adapting different learning theories respectively. The reflection on learning theories and their implications in context of Nepal, highlights the need for a shift from traditional, teacher-centered methods to more student-centered, interactive and participative approaches. Teachers in Nepal, with effective training and change in mindset, can move from centralized teaching learning method to a decentralized approach via gamification. It will create a hands-on, inquiry-based learning approach fostering critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills among students. Teachers in most of the schools of Nepal, yet needs to act as a facilitator, guide rather than dictate, allow students to explore and encourage them for collaborative learning and participating for better knowledge construction. By incorporating these approaches into Nepalese classrooms, educators can create meaningful and lasting changes in the lives of children, helping them become active learners and contributors to their communities.

Gamification plays a crucial role in developing 21st Century skills by integrating game-like elements into learning environments, helping students build competencies that are essential in today’s fast evolving world. These skills include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, adaptability, and digital literacy. Gamification encourages learners to engage in complex problem-solving activities, fostering analytical and critical thinking. By working through challenges, students develop the ability to evaluate situations, consider multiple solutions, and make informed decisions which are considered as a must possessed skills in modern work environments.

Likewise, games often present novel scenarios that require innovative solutions, encouraging learners to experiment with ideas, embrace failure as part of the process and think outside the box. Through interactive and imaginative game elements, students are promoted to think creatively. Many gamified learning experiences involve group tasks or competitions, which foster collaboration and communication. Students learn to work effectively in teams, share knowledge, and collectively solve problems, reflecting the teamwork skills needed in the 21st-century workplace. In a gamified setting, students practice communication by interacting with peers, giving and receiving feedback, and articulating their thoughts. Whether in online learning communities or in-person, these interactions help enhance verbal and written communication skills. As technology is integral to most gamified learning environments, students naturally enhance their digital literacy. They learn to navigate platforms, use multimedia tools, and engage with technology-driven content, preparing them for the demands of a technology-rich world. Games are often designed to progressively increase in difficulty, encouraging learners to adapt to new challenges. This builds resilience and flexibility, helping students become more comfortable with uncertainty and change key attributes in the dynamic, unpredictable 21st-century landscape.

In conclusion, gamification provides an innovative approach to education that aligns with the goals of 21st-century skill development. By engaging students in interactive, problem-based learning, it nurtures essential skills that will equip them to thrive in the modern world. In many Nepalese schools, especially in rural and suburban areas, education is still predominantly teacher-centered, with a heavy reliance on rote learning and traditional examination-based assessments. There is limited use of interactive teaching tools, multimedia, or digital resources that are commonly associated with gamified learning. Many students lack access to the technology necessary for implementing gamification, including computers, internet connectivity, and educational software. Additionally, the focus remains largely on academic performance, with less emphasis on fostering creativity, critical thinking, or collaboration skills that gamification can help develop. Nepalese schools must ensure education system, particularly in rural areas, that students have access to the technology and resources necessary to support gamified learning. Educational leaders should provide educators with professional development opportunities to learn how to design and implement gamified lessons. Additionally, they should encourage education policy makers to integrate gamified methods into the national curriculum and assessment systems to help Nepal’s schools embrace this innovative approach to education.

…
If you want to publish anything, we nepalnamcha welcome you with a smile. Just remember nepalnamcha@gmail.com for it.