Abstract:

Education, like many institutions in contemporary society, faces significant challenges to the completion of its mission. This is especially true of higher education, which is often expected to be and seen as a facilitator of social and cultural advancement (Baker et al, 2012)
Gamification is a relatively new concept intending to use elements from video games in non-game applications. Education is therefore an area with high potential for application of this concept since it seeks to promote people’s motivation and engagement (Simões, Redondo & Vilas, 2012).

The research in progress aims at creating a model for applying gamification in a course of Human Resources Management for Engineers, where testing and validating the results of that application can be possible.

This paper presents the state of the art of gamification in higher education, as well as some guidelines and main features of a specific gamification framework to be applied in a Social Sciences Course for a Masters in Engineering. Finally, we reflect on the specific profile of Engineering students, consider the characteristics of Social Sciences courses and propose strategies for improving student engagement with subjects that diverge from the nature of their core competencies.

Keywords:

Gamification, Higher Education, Innovation.