Use of a gamification approach for students’ engagement
Use of gamification to motivate students and deliver contents in a more interactive and funnier way, which might be especially suitable for VET programs with lower EQF levels.
Spain / CIFP Porta da Auga
To incorporate game mechanics into the design of the learning process in order to engage students and to get a more productive learning experience.
Students in the initial cycles of vocational training are more easily demotivated, so the search for new ways of learning is a key factor in their motivation. This is particularly true for the basic VET programs so we aimed at these students.
To this end we started a methodology based on the use of various gamification tools in the classroom.
Several years ago, the Regional Ministry of Culture, Education and University of Xunta de Galicia initiated a digital policy aimed at improving the ICT skills of teachers and supporting digital technologies at schools. It includes regular training courses for teachers and various digital hardware and software (PCs, laptops, digital whiteboards, LMS Moodle, etc.). During the pandemic, additional measures were taken such as the loan of laptops with free Internet connection for low-income students, the installation of HD webcams in classrooms, etc. Recently, the Galician Digital Education Network has been launched to take advantage of the use of digital technologies applied to the teaching-learning process in the classroom, and to make schools digitally competent organisations.
To implement this practice, I used existing IT equipment with access to the LMS, Moodle, which was already in place in our VET centre.
Additionally, I tested different gamification tools and eventually I decided to use Blooket.
Surface preparation - This subject contains the necessary training to carry out the function of basic maintenance in the area of surface preparation for the subsequent of basic maintenance in the area of surface preparation for its subsequent painting.
The practice was implemented in the VET program “Technician in Vehicle maintenance” (Basic VET cycle, EQF 2-3), 1st course, subject Surface preparation, average age 16 years, 16 students.
The course includes content material written by me and presented on Moodle, complemented by internet sources - video films, case studies, further reading, etc.
On completion of a lesson or a particular part within it, I use different gamification tools, mainly online quizzes, that provided opportunity for revision, reinforcement or re-delivery, depending on the outcomes.
The results of the quiz serve to assess learners’ understanding of the lesson, both individually and collectively.
I mainly used Blooket for this approach since it allows many options for different kind of games. It allows you to play or create your own trivia and review games for group competition or solo study.
When creating your own game, you can create a question set manually or import questions from Quizlet.
Each student is represented by a “Blook”, represented by a different animal. They allow all students to keep track of individual progress and the progress of those they're competing against.
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The game choices put students in competition with one another. There is always an element of chance included in the game options which makes students very engaged and makes the competition real fun.
When you are teaching in the lower level EQF VET programs, this kind of methodologies are a good way to engage students. The important thing to make it really useful from a training point of view is to create appropriate sets of questions for each topic.
