Volume 14.3
gamification vs game-based learning; student online (dis)engagement; netnographic analysis of Duolingo; digital methods
Written by: Hege Merete Somby, Odd Rune Stalheim, Christina Niemi Mølstad , Kari Myren Bjørnsrud & Aurora Johanne Isaksen. Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.
Abstract: This article presents findings from a study focused on using technology as a learning tool in education. Educational research on game-based learning argues that technology-based learning tools effectively enhance learning and memory. Augmented reality (AR) technology is attracting significant attention; its importance will continue to increase as new learning environments are exploited and new possibilities for promoting flexible and playful learning are revealed. This study investigated pupils’ experiences with an AR application by comparing experiences and reflections from pupils who learned mathematics using the Wittario game-based learning application with pupils exposed to more traditional instructional methods. 72 pupils in 5th and 6th grade, divided into three different test groups, and 5 teachers were interviewed. The study revealed that the application provided more subjectoriented interactions, and pupils expressed a high level of motivation and peer affiliation when using the application. Our findings, therefore, reveal that using the application, especially when facilitating tasks that involve peer collaboration and interaction with a specter of features available, contributes to a positive learning environment. Also uncovered was that the teacher’s presence and positioning of the activity in a pedagogical context are essential to this process.
Keywords: AR technology, learning, motivation, physical activity/movement, mathematics, gaming
Written by:
Jonathan Gray, King’s College London, London, UK
Liliana Bounegru, King’s College London, London, UK
Richard Rogers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tommaso Venturini, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Donato Ricci, Sciences Po, Paris, France
Axel Meunier, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
Michele Mauri, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Sabine Niederer, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Natalia Sánchez Querubín, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Marc Tuters, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Lucy Kimbell, University of the Arts London, London, UK
Anders Kristian Munk, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract: This article examines the organisation of collaborative digital methods and data projects in the context of engaged research-led teaching in the humanities. Drawing on interviews, field notes, projects and practices from across eight research groups associated with the Public Data Lab (publicdatalab.org), it provides considerations for those interested in undertaking such projects, organised around four areas: composing (1) problems and questions; (2) collectives of inquiry; (3) learning devices and infrastructures; and (4) vernacular, boundary and experimental outputs. Informed by constructivist approaches to learning and pragmatist approaches to collective inquiry, these considerations aim to support teaching and learning through digital projects which surface and reflect on the questions, problems, formats, data, methods, materials and means through which they are produced.
Keywords: engaged research-led teaching, engaged teaching, digital methods, data studies, infrastructure studies, data journalism, science and technology studies, Internet studies.
Authors:
Tuire Oittinen, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
Judit Háhn, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
Tiina Räisänen, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
Abstract:
In the past two years, student engagement in online learning situations has become a mutual concern for educators all over the world. The impact of working in online environments and using video and other communication channels on students’ learning experiences is still not fully understood. The present study addresses this question by drawing on students’ written reflections and interviews from the Finnish higher education context collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. It uses the qualitative method of thematic analysis to investigate students’ experiences of interacting in synchronous sessions and their perceptions on (dis)engagement. The analysis shows the importance of versatile teaching methods and enhanced participation, the use of web cameras and anti-distraction strategies for engagement. In contrast, some aspects, such as communication issues, camera-induced self-awareness, and distractions from one’s physical and digital surroundings, pertain to disengagement. The study contributes to a better understanding of the common challenges and affordances of distributed learning environments on student engagement, but also shows individual differences in how these are perceived. The findings have implications for online teaching pedagogy and course design in general and higher education in particular.
Keywords:
student engagement, emergency remote teaching (ERT), synchronous sessions, distributed learning environments, interview, thematic analysis
Authors:
James York, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan
Jonathan deHaan, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
Mark Childs, University of Durham, UK
Michael Collins, Open University, UK
Abstract:
As the title suggests, this paper compares the underlying assumptions, theory, and practice of gamification and game-based learning through the lens of pop-cultural references, specifically: the Matrix movie series. Thus, and in keeping with the theme of the movies, we hope to “redpill” readers into thinking more deliberately about their pedagogical approaches. We start by defining terms: the Matrix, the real-world, gamification and game-based learning. The paper then explores the various layers of power and control that both students and teachers find themselves operating within, referring to the Matrix movies where appropriate. We argue that gamification is an unnecessary layer of control that should be abolished in favor of more humanistic, transformative, and critical pedagogical practices, of which game-based learning may be one way of instantiating such change. However, we also argue that awareness of various pedagogical theories, as well as their potential benefits and harms is not enough to bring about meaningful change. Much like the Matrix movies, it is up to the reader to enact change through their actions. The paper ends with an invitation to consider how pedagogy, educational institutions, and capitalist society act as a matryoshka model of control or “simulation” which, through play, we may break free from. In sum: don’t trick. Be ludic.
Keywords:
gamification, game-based learning, ludic, pedagogy, Matrix
Banner image: Onur Binay on Unsplash
Author:
Tom Neuschafer, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Abstract:
Duolingo is a gamified language learning app that improves users’ language acquisition and learning through game mechanics built into the curriculum. This research examined Spanish and German Duolingo discussion boards to assess how learners’ needs evolve as they progress from unit to unit throughout the course (beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels). This study used netnography to analyze 144 subunits in Duolingo German and 159 subunits in Duolingo Spanish. Based on the findings, non-native Duolingo Spanish users had the benefit of being immersed in discussions that included many native-speaking Duolingo Spanish users, which increased the accuracy of answers and cultural immersion in the language. These findings indicate that users on the Spanish discussion boards may be more open to tolerating ambiguity and uncertainty, which is important for learning a second language and intercultural competency. This research shows that having a culturally competent and knowledgeable user base significantly improves the emotional climate of the discussion boards, which may allow the users to more fully absorb the content and interact with other users with increased intercultural competence.
Keywords:
Online language learning, discussion boards, digital education