Abstract:

Face-to-face teaching in higher education needs some evolution in order to accommodate the new students generation. The old-fashioned master class way of instruction has led to worrying levels of demotivation not only in learners but also in teachers. The use of active learning techniques allow students to participate in their active cognitive process enhancing their engagement and thereby their motivation. The use of gamification in the classroom is one of the active learning techniques that can contribute in this regard. As an example, an application has been developed inspired in the “who wants to be a millionaire” TV show contest. When applying this game in the classroom, the teacher becomes “the presenter” whereas one of the several students turn into “the contestant”. The rest of the people perform as the “public”. Once the contestant is placed in the “hot seat”, the presenter asks questions related with recent class lesson subjects. The contestant has several wildcards that allow the public to participate actively in the session. Several incentives and rewards are offered to students as the contestant progress in the challenge. With this game, an attractive different way of study stimulation is offered to the students. The enjoyment and the inherent competition among students derived from the game, encourage people to study at home before “the contest” and improve their willingness to attend to the classroom. Moreover, teachers appreciate the implication and participation increase of the students. Therefore, it can be asserted that the introduction of this technique impact positively in students’ and teachers’ motivation and engagement.

Keywords:

Gamification, learning engagement, learning motivation.