Abstract:

The Covid-19 crisis has not only affected our daily lives but also our education system, as now, the challenge faced is how to maintain our teaching and learning online. Recent developments in online learning have shown that we can not rely merely on students to engage with the courses. There is a need to provide students with enough opportunities to indulge in the class material. Advancement in education technologies allows educators to design an effective learning environment to improve the learning outcomes. However, it is becoming more challenging for educators to provide an effective learning environment for online learning. Some of the challenges faced in student learning were:
1) students become distracted when an online task is given because it was not instructed properly, and
2) students did not feel connected to the topic taught and as a result, were experiencing low motivation levels.

Therefore, in order to improve these learning experiences, research is suggesting that students not just be provided with the delivery of content but to also be imbued with positive learning experiences. In addition, to further engage them in the learning environment, new and exciting problems using current technologies must be presented. Studies have shown that it is becoming more critical to reconstructing the learning environments for improving students' learning experiences and problem-solving skills. Problem solving and engagement are important in preparing learners for the future, and therefore this study aimed to provide an engaging learning environment and develop the students’ 21st-century skills to address several learning gaps, such as:
1) the lack of problem-solving and decision making in online learning,
2) shortfall of engagement in the learning process.

There is evidence that Game-Based Learning (GBL) plays an important role in increasing engagement in a learning environment. Specifically, GBL has been shown to:
1) Empower learners,
2) Develop problem solving skills, and
3) Increased their understanding of the content.

In this research, a learning environment was redesigned to incorporate Gee’s (2005) GBL elements, set within a blended learning, technologically backed environment. Class content was integrated with digital tools and learning activities based on Gee’s 13 elements of Game-Based Learning were incorporated into the learning design. The redesign of the class, therefore, consisted of lectures, game-based activities, practical labs, feedback sessions, competitive and fun quizzes, input from industrial experts, blogs and a WhatsApp group created for group communication.

A mixed method approach for collecting data was used in this study, and triangulated to support the results. At the end of the trimester, a Likert-based survey was administered to 42 students to gauge their perceptions of this GBL environment, around the following constructs:
1) Motivation,
2) Engagement,
3) Critical thinking and Problem solving, and
4) Team collaboration.

Results showed that students displayed high motivation and engagement levels, were able to think critically, solve problems, and work and collaborate together as a group. These results provided positive and strong encouragement for using Game-Based Learning elements in a virtual classroom, and as an instructional strategy to enhance the student learning experience.

Keywords:

Online learning, problem-solving, education, game-based learning, digital tech.