HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD: AN EXPERIENCE IN GAMIFICATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Considering the many significant challenges faced by higher education in contemporary society, gamification and game-based approaches to Education have been gaining protagonism in research as well as practice.

Application of games can encourage—or require—students to apply deeper levels of knowledge and skills, focusing their knowledge acquisition in more than simple memorization and repetition in tests, allowing them to use their new found knowledge, skills and abilities to find solutions to problems –even if simulated and fairly accessible ones. Unlike traditional assessments, which typically require students to recall or demonstrate basic levels of skills, games and simulations can present students with more authentic environments to demonstrate strategic and critical thinking which is highly compatible with the “competency model”. Through games, learning can also be made more of a social and collaborative activity, which are important 21st century skills.

Hence, a model was developed for applying gamification in a course of Human Resources Management of a Masters in Engineering. This model was based on a state of the art research of gamification in higher education, as well as some guidelines and main features of a gamification framework.

This paper presents the game system, platform and strategies implemented by the teaching team, comparing the original project with the actually implemented one. Teacher and student reflections on this experience are presented, and guidelines for future practice are brought out, including the biggest blunders and the best features of the game-based approach used in this experience, their causes and consequences.

We believe this work can contribute to further game-based approached in higher education, stimulating reflection and insight for other researchers and practitioners.