Create an Epic Win and Level-Up Your Classroom with Gameful Design

Pre-Conference Workshop Session 2

Brief Abstract

Learn how to effectively implement gameful design in your classroom to improve the student learning experience and enhance intrinsic motivation.

There is a fee for this Pre-Conference Workshop: $195 Early Bird / $225 Full Price

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Presenters

Lead Presenter: Kevin Bell, Northeastern University

Kevin Bell serves Northeastern University as the Executive Director for Curriculum Development and Deployment and as Senior Fellow for the Lowell Institute Innovation Incubator. Prior to his Northeastern appointment, Kevin served as Chief Academic Officer for the College of Online and Continuing Education at Southern New Hampshire University where he also led the academic development of the SNHU Innovation Lab’s College for America project. Bell holds a BSc. in Analysis of Science and Technology from Manchester University in the UK, an M.A.T. from Marlboro College, and graduated from the executive doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania. His most recent research centers on elements of course design that affect persistence and retention in online classes, with a focus on cognitive science, adaptive learning and gamification. He was awarded a double distinction for his dissertation at Penn.

Extended Abstract

Being an educator in the 21st Century means competing with a wide variety of technologies to keep the attention of our students. These learners have grown up in a world of instant gratification and multi-tasking creating a scenario that is a challenge to traditional education which relies heavily on external motivators to inspire student success. For us to better support student success, we need to create more powerful learning experience by effectively wielding technology and deploying the right tools.

When implemented correctly, the use of game mechanics in the classroom setting can enrich the overall student experience. When teachers and students have a bad experience with the use of game elements, it is often due to using the wrong tools or implementing the right tools incorrectly. The key is knowing which tools are most effective implementing them correctly. Gameful design allows us as educators to focus on enhancing student intrinsic motivation by creating experiences that meet the needs and expectations of learners today.

In this workshop, you will:
ï Understand and differentiate between games, gamification and gameful design
ï Review relevant examples of gameful design in practice
ï Identify effective best practices
ï Develop a strategic plan for implementing gameful design in your classroom.