Volume 15 Issue 5 / Oct 2017
pp367‑466
Keywords: Open Teaching; Open Educational Practices; Open Educational Resources; MOOC; Information and Communication Technologies; Open Education; E-learning, E-Resources, e-learning, open and distance education, pre-service teachers, e-Learning practice, continuum, use, e-Teaching, e-Learning, traditional, innovation, systems engineering, systems thinking, systems approach, system dynamics, systems engineering education, systems thinking assessment, educational games, experience accelerator, experiential learning, game-based learning, system analysis and design, systems engineering and theory, simulation, Feasibility, e-learning, Iranian university, strategies, gamification, games and learning, drivers, barriers, teachers, Higher Education, connectivity, subject advisor, integration, curriculum delivery, 21st Century, South Africa, multimedia storytelling; traditional storytelling; foreign language learning; Chinese idiom learning; non-native novices
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Abstract
Gamification is the use of game design elements in non‑game contexts and it is gaining momentum in a wide range of areas including education. Despite increasing academic research exploring the use of gamification in education little is known about teachers’ main drivers and barriers to using gamification in their courses. Using a phenomenology approach, 16 online structured interviews were conducted in order to explore the main drivers that encourage teachers serving in Higher Education institutions to using gamification in their courses. The main barriers that prevent teachers from using gamification were also analysed. Four main drivers (attention‑motivation, entertainment, interactivity, and easiness to learn) and four main barriers (lack of resources, students’ apathy, subject fit, and classroom dynamics) were identified. Results suggest that teachers perceive the use of gamification both as beneficial but also as a potential risk for classroom atmosphere. Managerial recommendations for managers of Higher Education institutions, limitations of the study, and future research lines are also addressed.