Gamification can be a powerful tool for learning. It allows educators to present knowledge interactively and engagingly. Due to its potential, this learning method is rapidly growing. More students and professionals now prefer to access e-learning via gamification. Although gamification has various benefits, there are some disadvantages to it as well. In this article, you will learn about the benefits and drawbacks of this e-learning method.
Gamification Benefits
Gamification has expanded e-learning. Below are some of its benefits for students and educators.
Increased Motivation
The dream of every educationist is to motivate their learners. Now, gamification offers increased motivation for most students. It achieves this by including gaming elements like:
- Leaderboards;
- Badges;
- Points;
- Stages/levels.
All these features can encourage participation and engagement. By extension, it improves the overall learning outcome. On the other hand, students who want to learn another language will find the best online translation service beneficial. Using this platform can improve their overall learning experience.
Improved Learning
Most e-learning platforms are actively looking for ways to improve learning. By studying with games, the learning outcome usually improves. Therefore, students can quickly access feedback immediately after completing milestones. Furthermore, students mostly receive feedback in a manner that reinforces the primary objectives of each learning outcome, which improves understanding and retention. On the other hand, students and educators can easily keep track of the process.
Personalization
Like most things in life, education doesn’t follow a one-size-fits-all scenario. Each student may have preferences. In addition, learning curves differ from one person to another. With gamification, learners can easily personalize their learning experience. by customizing their home pages, avatars, and other details. Beyond this, a student can access personalized content tailor-made for their educational needs. Doing all this enhances comprehension, retention, and engagement. It also caters to students with special needs, allowing them to learn at their own pace.
Socialization
Humans are social creatures. We depend on each other to exist. With gamification, social learning becomes easier. Students can interact, collaborate, and compete. Through leaderboards and similar elements, students can learn while having fun. Ultimately, gamification can create a virtual community which minimizes social isolation.
Gamification Drawbacks
This e-learning method has several disadvantages. Below are some drawbacks to take note of.
Focus on Reward
Although anticipating a reward is an excellent motivator, dependency on it can be counterproductive. In some cases, students get carried away by the need to earn badges and be the best among their peers. When this occurs, the primary purpose of providing learning as a game becomes defeated. Students who focus on rewards end up retaining and comprehending less.
Increased Distraction
Accessing knowledge via games is fun and engaging. However, it can easily distract many students, especially if the gaming elements are too distracting. In this situation, learners focus on playing the game instead of learning. Therefore, educators must carefully select gaming elements suitable for passing on knowledge.
Increased Time and Cost
Creating educational content requires time and money. It also needs the expertise of a specialist. However, these requirements increase once you introduce a gaming element into the pool. When this happens, other experts must transform the content into a functional game that is existing and user-friendly. Sometimes, the cost and time needed to create these games are not worth it. The challenge of finding the right balance between acceptable time and cost use is what many language learning apps consider before developing solutions. For this reason, many of these applications provide high-quality solutions at affordable rates.
Addiction
Some students have a greater chance of becoming addicts due to their brain structure and environmental factors. As such, these individuals can quickly become addicts when exposed to too much gamification. In addition, many games are designed to be addictive to enhance engagement. Likewise, developers who do not understand the core elements of learning may create games that encourage addictive behavior rather than improve knowledge.
Limits Comprehension
Gamification is a great way of enhancing comprehension. However, not all subjects can be effectively gamified. For example, abstract and complex concepts may require other learning methods for students to comprehend the material. Therefore, e-learning platforms must carefully select content suitable for gamification. Likewise, content must be frequently updated to ensure adherence to learning objectives.
Conclusion
Gamification is considered an excellent tool for e-learning. It can enhance engagement, motivation, and much more. However, this method has multiple drawbacks. The role of an e-learning platform is to find a balance between the benefits and disadvantages when implementing gamification in the educational process.
About the Author
Elaine Bailey is an experienced writer and researcher. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education. Also, Elaine has a passion for exploring how technology enhances learning outcomes for students and professionals at all levels.