How (not) to introduce badges to online exercises

Abstract

Achievement badges are increasingly used to enhance educational systems and they have been shown to affect student behavior in different ways. However, details on best practices and effective concepts to implement badges from a non-technical point of view are scarce. We implemented badges to our learning management system, used them on a large course and collected feedback from students. Based on our experiences, we present recommendations to other educators that plan on using badges.

Gamification: The effect on student motivation and performance at the post-secondary level

“…For example, Khan Academy rewards users for watching videos and solving math problems with points and badges (Barata et al, 2013;Haaranen, Ihantola, Hakulinen, & Korhonen, 2014) and Fitocracy uses gamification to motivate users to be more physically active (Barata et al, 2013;Goehle, 2013). The purpose of this research paper is to explore the effects of gamification on student motivation and performance at the postsecondary level.…”

“…Badges are a common element of gamification introduced into courses, reported in 11 of 19 studies that are listed in Table 2 ( Abramovich et al, 2013;Barata et al, 2013;Charles et al, 2011;de-Marcos et al, 2014;Dominguez et al, 2013;Goehle, 2013;Hanus & Fox, 2015;Haaranen et al, 2014;McDaniel et al, 2012;O'Donovan et al, 2013;Turner et al, 2013). Badges introduce a social element to courses by allowing students to identify with other learners who are working towards the same goals (O'Donnell et al, 2013;Turner et al, 2013).…”

“…Similarly, Geohle (2013) reported that learners felt rewarded for completing their homework and appreciated the extra acknowledgement obtained when they were awarded with a badge or an achievement. Haaranen et al (2014) stated that approximately one-third of college students were motivated by the badges, one-third were indifferent towards the badges, and the remaining one-third did not find the badges motivating. Contrary to this, Hanus and Fox (2015) found that students in the gamified version of a university course, which incorporated badges and leaderboards, were less motivated and had lower final exam scores than students enrolled in the non-gamified version of the course.…”

“…A small percentage (10%) of studies reported no impact or negative impacts on student motivation (Berkling & Thomas, 2013;Hanus & Fox, 2015). Additionally, some studies reported mixed results with respect to motivation (Dominguez Issues andTrends in Educational Technology Volume 3, Number 2, Dec. 2015 et al, 2013;Haaranen et al, 2014;Meyer, 2008). Meyer (2008) indicated that students reported that gamification did not affect their motivation to post or quality of post in a discussion forum; however, a small percentage (15%) of students did report a positive impact as a result of the introduction of point-based rewards.…”

“…Not all learners are motivated by or benefit from gamification (Haaranen et al, 2014;Whitton, 2012). In fact, the "entertainment features of games may distract the player from the academic content of the game, and reduce the players' efforts to process the material more deeply" (Mayer & Johnson, 2010, p. 248).…”