Hermy Cortez Llacuna

GAMIFYING vUWSStarting your quest in Blackboard Learn

vUWS = Virtual UWSGAMIFYING vUWS

HERMY (CORTEZ) LLACUNAWestern Sydney University

@hermzcc

Blended Learning Designerh.cortez@westernsydney.edu.au

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BINGO

https://bingobaker.com/play/810475

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Western Sydney University

• 40k Students• 8 campuses• 2k Academics• 10 Schools and

The College• Blended Learning

Specialists• Central Blended

Learning Team

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The Central Blended Learning Team

• Professional Development sessions: Blended learning Fully online Assessment Active learning

• Consultation: face-to-face, one-on-one support

• Communities of Practice

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The Game Plan

• 2hr face-to-face session• Intended for professional and

academic staff• Objectives of the workshop:

• Showcase good practice (vUWS site)

• Identify pedagogical theories

• Run activities around gamification

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What is gamification?

Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. (Sebastian Deterding, Assistant Professor in the Game Design Program at Northeastern University 2011)

Gamification “utilises the experience of fun, along with intrinsic motivation and rewards, to engage and captivate individual participants”. (Sauderson, R. Making Learning Fun 2011)

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Gamification in action!

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LinkedIn gamified(Status bar)

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Fitness gamified(Challenges and leaderboards)

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Pokemon, Go(Avatar, levels, badges, competition, quests, augmented reality)

Image source: GameSpot, 2016

Opera House, July 2016

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Why gamify?

Motivates students to complete activities

Helps students be more attentive to what they are learning

Allow students engage in friendly competitions with peers

It’s fun and engaging!

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REWARDS for motivation

PLAY as a way we learn

Repetition until MASTERY is achieved

FLOW THEORY relates to the emotions evoked by the flow states in games

GOLDILOCKS THEORY means it needs to be “just right”

Gamify learning Learnify gaming

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Gaming mechanics

Characterisation Quests Competition Achievements

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Quests

Narrative/Journey Challenges Mission

The power of a good story is to motivate

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Achievements

Points Badges Rewards Certificates

Tools to help gamify vUWS

AchievementsGrade CentreLearning ModuleAdaptive ReleaseOther gradable tools

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Activities – The Quest in vUWS

Part 1: Explore (15 mins)In groups, use the CoWs on your learning pod, to go through examples of quests

Part 2: Discussion (15 mins)Development of quest using tools in vUWS and storyboarding

Part 3: Storyboard (20 mins)Using the storyboard template provided or any tool accessible on the CoWs, as a group or individually, you can begin to storyboard quest ideas based on around learning goals. (You do not need to finish it)

Part 4: Presentation (if time permits)Volunteers to share their ideas to class, using the whiteboard camera, document camera, or CoW

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http://popplet.com/app/#/3393080

The Intern – an example

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The Quest in vUWS - Feedback

Awesome initiative to enhance blended learning at Western.

Find ways to engage students and make learning fun. Thanks cBLT!

Learn how to engage millennials on vUWS

Very useful ideas, principles, examples and resources. Readily

transferrable to practice.

It’s easy to implement

Essential for online teachers

A worthwhile workshop for anyone looking to enhance student

engagement in vUWS

A must for unit coordinators to develop engaging vUWS content

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Where are we going?

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Questions?

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h.cortez@westernsydney.edu.au@hermzcc