How to make eLearning engaging with gamification

As a Learning & Development (L&D) professional, creating engaging eLearning programs for corporate developmental courses is an essential skill.

With the rise of eLearning as an L&D program tool, gamification has become an important aspect of keeping learners engaged and making the most of their learning experience.

If you’re in an L&D role and are wondering what gamification is, how it creates an engaging learning experience and how to implement it into your eLearning programs, here is everything you need to know!

What is gamification?

Gamification is the implementation of games and competitive activities in a non-gaming context, such as a classroom or learning environment. These games are set to increase problem solving, simulate real-life scenarios and make the learning experience more fun and enjoyable.

Gamification taps into the learner's instinctual desire to compete, earn rewards and gain a satisfying sense of accomplishment. The instant feedback provided by eLearning gamification can be satisfying and give learners the recognition they are aiming for.

Everyone has had a gamified learning experience. A few eLearning gamification examples consist of a timed competitive quiz, scenario-led learning, rewarding learners rather than grading them and splitting learners into teams.

Benefits of eLearning gamification

• Improved productivity.
• Higher learner engagement.
• Room for team building exercises
• Improved retention.
• Learners can contextualise learning.
• A more fun learning experience.

Examples of gamified assessment

Badges and awards

Games are only fun when the player feels motivated enough to accomplish the challenge. Badges and awards can act as a motivator to encourage learners to excel at the eLearning game.

Digital badges can be created on platforms such as Canva, and in a corporate environment, a reward can be a half day on a Friday or an Amazon gift voucher! The better the reward, the more competitive learners will be, and the more likely they are to be engaged.

This creates an engaging learning environment where learners feel motivated to learn and excel at the topic. So rather than a dull corporate learning experience, learners are having a fun time while reaching their learning objective targets.

Levels, points and leaderboards

Learners are much more engaged during quizzes and games when they are seeking a satisfying outcome. An awarded level or point can be a motivating factor during online learning corporate training programs, as learners want the personal satisfaction of a high score.

Taking it a step further, the addition of a leaderboard where learners can see where they rank amongst their peers and colleagues can make for a healthy competitive environment. This can create an engaging eLearning experience for the learner, where they feel motivated to outperform their peers and learn as much information as possible.  

How to implement gamification game mechanics

Positive reinforcement

The principles of any effective eLearning course should be to provide positive reinforcement to encourage learners and make them feel rewarded, seen and appreciated for their efforts.

Gamified eLearning should be no different, and learners should be provided with positive reinforcement so they feel comfortable making mistakes, asking questions and they will ultimately feel more engaged.

Positively reinforcing those who have succeeded at the eLearning game will encourage others to work harder and gain appreciation.

A variety of gaming styles

As a digital learning designer, it is important to understand that eLearning programs consist of learners with multiple learning styles and personal interests, so any gamification features should take this into account. Switch up your eLearning content and gaming elements, to keep up with the attention span of the learners.

One of the benefits of gamification is that learners can have multiple attempts to get it right. This encourages them to keep learning and gain a satisfying sense of accomplishment when they finally get it right!

Provide immediate feedback

Upholding learner engagement during eLearning is important to make sure the program is effective, and the learning content is being absorbed by the learner.

Providing immediate feedback and helping learners understand any areas of improvement can keep them motivated and willing to achieve higher. It is important that the feedback is immediate to capitalise on the attention of the learner and prevent them from losing interest and motivation.

Types of games to implement in eLearning programs

Quizzes

Quizzes are a simple and effective way of testing the knowledge of learners, creating a score to measure their knowledge and place them on a rank amongst their peers.

Learners can find quizzes competitive and fun, whether they are multiple choice, fill in the blank or true/false, they can be adjusted to the competency of learners and their progression level within the eLearning program.

Immersive scenarios

Create a fun storyline that users can immerse themselves in. If you are training learners on sales, create a scenario of potential customers. A running story throughout a segment of your program can keep learners engaged in how the story will unfold.

This can also contextualise any learning content so learners can use any information learnt from the scenarios into their real-life working environment, thus increasing workplace competency.

Competitive teams

Besides independent learning, grouping your learners in teams for competitions can create a social aspect to the learning and boost engagement. No one wants to be the one to hold the team back, so learners are more likely to remain engaged so they can perform well for their peers. This can be a rewarding experience.

Are you looking to take your expertise in the L&D field further? Find out more about our Digital Learning Design course to advance your career today.