By combining a fun dimension to educational content on computers and smartphones with the Gamification, it is possible to set up effective training programs that really engage learners.
Smartphones have changed the way we learn and the learning strategies that take advantage of them to make it a real one Device adapted to training are constantly being developed.
The value of microlearning in training
Training based on microlearning is adapted to learning by short and specific sequences. Each sequence is designed to allow the learner to develop a particular skill or to obtain highly targeted knowledge.
Microlearning thus responds to two societal phenomena: lack of time and reduced levels of attention. It can also be used to recall the concepts covered in lectures in order to Countering the forgetting curve or to provide theoretical information before putting it into practice with the trainer.
The value of gamification in training
Gamification is the art of making an experience fun, whether it's prevention, communication or learning. In the case of the learning experience, it makes the learning experience engaging and sustainable.
By using the mechanics of serious games and video games (completion bar, challenges, levels), gamification will encourage users of a service to engage more in an activity.
Integrating gamification into microlearning
There are 4 types of action to build a fun experience at the heart of the gamified system: Storytelling, collaboration, competition and role-playing. Gamified actions have an influence on the intrinsic motivation of learners. As part of a learning process, video game mechanics derived from role-playing games are the most effective.
For microlearning, it is necessary to integrate these principles with modules that will have educational objectives but also show progression to the player, like a virtual character in a role-playing game.
So we are going to integrate a narrative aspect that marks the learning journey and combines challenges, rewards, feedback and a controlled environment to learn and practice.
Some of the gamification elements to include in a microlearning experience include:
- Levels, challenges, rewards, rankings;
- Quantified Self;
- Collections: the more the learner progresses, the more trophies he unlocks that he can display on his public profile;
- Gamified evaluations: quizzes, multiple choice questions...;
- Collaborative corrections: learners evaluate each other;
- Problem resolutions;
- Unlocking new solutions;
- In-game rewards in the form of badges;
- Completion bars to show progress in a course;
- Rankings to assess your level in relation to other learners;
- Diagrams to show the skills acquired.
Gamification is a great way to keep learners' attention, but it should not be thought at the expense of company and learners' goals. It's not the game mechanics that count but the actions they require.
