Is Game Mechanics a Feasible Design Model for an Asynchronous University Course?
Aysegul Gok
Georgia State University
United States
agok1@student.gsu.edu
Abstract
This article will use an asynchronous, online university course as context for an examination of how game
mechanics might be used to enhance the learning and engagement of undergraduate university students. We propose
that game elements is a solution to the type of issues because games can encourage students’ motivation to engage
more with the asynchronies course and students’ learning outcomes, Game based designs in online courses are
actually quite different than listening to lectures, downloading text and/or power point presentations, reading
questions and answering them, and/or submitting assignments. These are pedagogical practices that have been
pulled from the traditional classroom and dropped into online environments.
Computer games provide a strong basis for a learning environment since it motivates students while having
game elements. Further, computer games have competitive, collaborative, and interactive activities by using game
elements that include goals, feedback, rewards, and ranking which are also a strong incentive for a learning
environment. As Bouras et al.(2004) suggested, gaming is becoming a new form of interactive content for learning
purposes. In the same context, Dickey (2007) said that interactive learning environments allow learners to construct
understandings by interacting with information, tools, and materials as well as by collaborating with other learners
within the game to attain a more productive learning environment. In simple terms, games are engaging and
motivate students using entertainment, which is a part of a natural learning process in human development (Bisson
& Luckner, 1996).
Video games such as serious and independent games are increasingly important to university instruction
and curricula, and the move to online gaming allows university a stronger opportunity to dispense education. There
are several significantly important organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which have made
extensive investments in serious gaming for teaching and learning. (Curtis, 2011). NASA has started a sustained
initiative to develop serious games for public and education in science and technology (Cowan, 2006). These
examples further illustrate the growing importance and the need for gaming both in terms of education and game
development. The development of ‘serious gaming’ technology has attained a strong trend in the educational
environment (Michael D., S. Chen, 2005). Basically ‘serious games’ are games, related the development of
computer games for educational purposes (Minchev Z., Dukov G., Georgiev S., 2009). Serious games are supposed
to offer many new learning opportunities and positive effects on the learner for motivation and learning results (eg,
De Freitas, 2006; Kiili, 2007; Shaffer, 2006). Such complex learning processes is about acquiring competence
leading to information skills, media literacy, problem-solving, communication and collaboration, and critical
reflection about wicked problems. Such competences are usually not addressed by other learning platforms (Gee,
2003).
Rather than designing and developing educational computer games which require extensive time and effort,
it is suggested that game elements can be implemented in learning (Baek, 2006; Kim & Kim, 2005). However,
without relevant guidelines and instructional strategies, it would be very difficult to achieve the educational
objectives through the game elements.
Games elements might be more effective in asynchronous online environments because students can learn
to actively correct their own errors, and find answers to their own questions using a variety of resources guided by
the instructor. The Game based challenges can be overcome and the interest can be sustained which improves the
quality of learning in online courses based on competition, cooperation, feedback, goal settings, and rewards, This
interactive tools and methods help student to maintain their interest and learning more effectively at a faster pace.
Game elements have the potential to greatly enhance online learning experiences (McClarty, Orr, Frey,
Dolan, Vassileva, McVay, 2012). This potential exists for the same reason that they have already influenced many
other aspects of living. Perhaps this is because they are uniquely effective tools that are flexible enough to be
applied in an unlimited variety of real world situations. Learners are not able to learn without interacting subject
matter in the real world situations. By engaging which is provided game elements strongly, learners can have
effective learning process. According to James Gee, game elements help learners to engage with thinking, problem
solving, discovering, experimenting, practicing, and supporting and knowledge are stored in material objects and the
environment by transferring their previous learning to their future learning including problem and solutions that
require adapting and transforming processes. (Gee, 2003). Also, players find an opportunity to learn not to be so
ambitious, at the same time; they have a good social life by sharing and helping each other to receive variety of
rewards. (n.d, 2012)The evolution of the game has been important not only for education, but also for society in
general.
Game mechanics are the set of rules that support users to explore, progress, engage, and learn expected
context, concepts, task, and activities with peers through the use of a feedback mechanism (Bartt, 2009). Game
elements can help to a learner based approach with interacting, and a concept of learning based to find and
assimilate useful information. Serious games and game elements emphasize in education action more than
explanation which creates and adds to motivation and accommodating multiple learning styles and abilities. Some of
the potential advantages of using serious games in the professional and educational contexts have also been
examined by Mayo (2007, 32–34). These are goal setting, cooperation, and feedback. Some examples of game
elements are challenges, change, competition, cooperation, feedback, resource, acquisition, rewards, transactions,
turns, win states: processes that points, resource collection, avatars, quests, social graph, progression, levels.
Rewards: One of game elements is rewarding, which is used to keep players engaged. In this case, the goal of game
designers is to get players playing and to keep them playing by connecting their efforts to incentives and rewards.
This is not unlike the tactical use of incentives and rewards to increase workplace motivation, volition and
performance (Keller, 2008). The underlying rules by encouraging rewards learners tend to think like a private.
Therefore, learners develop a feel or intuition about the system structure. Therefore, learners focus on the problem
and improve their own thinking which is necessary in order to solve problems (Gee, 2003). In this way, learners can
improve their feeling or intuition regarding how contexts, subjects, or concepts are used in the real world, which
may help work through similar situations later on. (Gee, 2003).
When we think about rewards in the setting of the asynchronous undergrad course, badges can be useful
tools to use. For example, badges can be gold, silver, and bronze medals or Class 1 Captains, Class 2 Lieutenants,
Class 3 Sergeants, Class 4 Corporals, and Class 5 Soldiers. While students are completing regularly and significantly
the practice sections which includes quizzes, discussions, and some activities, their badges would be changed.
However, the practice sections will not be graded. The rate of scores for discussions, quizzes, and other activities
under the practice sections are changeable based on objectives. For example, if students response their friends’ posts
in the discussion boards regularly and significantly, they can earn more score than other activities. When students
change their badges, they can be able to have bonus scores that can help for their final grades, or students will be
able to choose their graded assignments’ topics from the assignments’ list. Generally, grades are one of the best
rewards in the course settings. In the asynchronous undergrad course, the assignment sections can be graded to have
their final grade and measure if students learn the expected objectives. When the total and current final grades are
showed to students, they may be motivated by their success to track their learning process.
Applying game elements in asynchronous courses therefore, can help provide a highly social and a
collaborative environment. One of the most effective instructional strategies is projects which provide students to
have practical experience and reach learning goals interactively. Products can be shared with other peers in the
asynchronous courses and critiqued. The learners have the opportunity to observe many different aspects and
feedbacks. Group projects can include simulations, role playing, case studies, problem solving exercises, group
collaborative work, debates, small group discussion, and brainstorming. These subtasks can be broken down to score
for the project’s member at the asynchronous course. In accordance with the importance of sub tasks, scores or
points can be given when the learners complete them. For instance, if one of groups asks sometimes to help out for
their project to another group, and another group accepts, they can earn a small amount of points. Collaborative
learning can be more effective than interpersonal competitive and individualistic efforts in promoting cognitive
development, self-esteem, and positive student-student relationships.
Feedback: Another element of game mechanics is feedback – a strategy that has been proven to be critical to
effective learning and instruction (Zabrucky, K. M., Commander, N. E., (2012). Indeed, learners should know
exactly what they need to do next, or what options they have available to them at any given moment in an e-learning
environment. Feedback systems can also be a wonderful way of development asynchronous courses predominantly
to solve motivational issues and potentially affected the knowledge, skills by increasing the engaging time and the
interest of less active learners. A common example in the Gaming world is to reward a player through means of gift
or designate transferable rewards to another player, wherein a player can be substituted or another player can be
invited to the game. This process maintains the incentive and makes it more involving. As a result, learners can be
more socially interactive in an asynchronous course.
Discussion is the most preferable instructional strategy in an asynchronous course to apply game elements
because it is interactive and encourages active learning. The discussion format encourages learners to analyze
alternative ways of thinking and acting and assists learners in exploring their own experiences so they can become
better critical thinkers. For individual works or discussion, learners should receive peer feedback to see different
aspects. Given feedbacks or comments can be scheduled with rewards such as points to improve their course grade.
However, it is hard to define how to set the rules for the rewards’ structure. For instance, one of learners gives many
feedbacks. Another learner gives quality but less feedback. If the rules are set the reward schedule for the amount of
comments, perhaps, a designer need to know discussion within the small group is often on high intellectual levels specifically analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
In asynchronous courses, mentorship can be supported with guidelines as one of game elements which
provide aspects, tips, and significant information for learners as feedback. Basically, the aim of mentorship is to help
learners to improve what learners already know and what they need to know. Mentors by interpreting the
environment and modeling expected behaviors. Guides give an opportunity to learners to create their learning
pathway and follow their own learning strategy.
Goal setting: Another element of game mechanics is setting goals and objectives. This should be goal and object
oriented, learner centric, iterative, and use inductive reasoning - which inferences the best available explanation.
There should be a balance between an analytic and a creative process. Inductive reasoning was a term developed by
Charles Sanders Peirce “pragmatism” and it indicates inference from the best available explanation, which jumps
from the initial to the next step. Also, instructional designers should break up their products into a short-term,
medium-term, and long-term goals which are overlapping because it is easy to distract a learners’ attention in an
asynchronous course which last for a long term learning period (Squire, 2011). For instance, before completing
courses, the learners must complete several other existing modules (Raymer, 2011). Another example as one of
game elements, goals setting is about contract learning. Learning contracts are useful tools that encourage students
to become active participants in their learning. Education has to be an active rather than passive process. To be
active, students must participate in the process of education and become more independent and responsible for their
own learning by planning their own short term and long term goals. Learning contacts provide a way to deal with the
wide differences among any group of learners, increase student motivation for learning, facilitate the development of
mutual respect between the educator and participants, provide for more individualized mode of instruction, and
foster the skills of self-directedness (Knowles, 1986). The contract also provides a means for the learner to receive
continuous feedback regarding progress toward accomplishing learning objectives.
The main point for this would be to develop strategies in order to help students’ active and effective
cognitive activities according to goal setting as well as the learning content. In this sense, as self-regulation are to be
developed and deployed for increased performance in learning by using goal setting. Setting goals in the
asynchronous course, students can use the goals charts which will be conducted by students. They will set their own
goals with their learning speed and put a check mark when they complete their goals after that they will upload it.
Also, if students can see the timer which shows how long you stay in the learning management system, clicker
which shows how many click you do, and post counter which shows how many post you send to discussion boards
can help to motivate students’ self-regulations.
Fun: Another element of game mechanics is fun. With advances in computer technologies several opportunities
have emerged in design environments in which the self-assessment procedure is more realistic, authentic, engaging,
and fun (Kirkley & Kirkley, 2004). Over the past 30 years researchers have examined the importance of enjoyment
and fun in user interfaces (van der Heijden, 2004). Fun is at once difficult to explain and to create. Fun could be
conjured through winning, problem solving, exploring, chilling, teamwork, recognition, triumphing, collecting,
surprising, using imagination, sharing, role sharing, customization, and goofing off (Werback, 2012). For instance,
one of fun types is challenge which must have a goal whose outcome can be uncertain. Learners do not enjoy games
they can beat every time and also not the type of games that are impossible to win. According to Malone, “learning
should be neither too complicated nor too simple with respect to the learner’s existing knowledge.” (1980) Learners
seem to enjoy and prefer activities that involve a fantasy level. Fun needs be designed, it does not just happen. Fun
can be challenging, which appeals to different kinds of learners. For instance, completing profiles makes it more fun
and exciting for asynchronous courses based on different types of learners. Another example for applying game
elements into the asynchronous courses could be the forum which is an open discussion carried on by one or more
resource learners and an entire group. The learners discuss issues, make comments, suggest information, ask
questions each other, or share their problems and ideas general. If other learners answer questions and solve their
classmate problems as a voluntary, they may have fun by problem solving, socializing, and participating.
Ranking: Another element of game mechanics is ranking (feedback on competition) or personalized leader boards
(friend-relative variant) to publicly display levels of progress. Leaderboards are representations of achievements;
signals level importance, achievement and credentials. There are several types of leaderboards. One of them is a
global leaderboard which shows where the player is in relation to everyone on the site. Another type is a friends
leaderboard which shows where the players are in relation to just their friends list. The friends leaderboards are
essential for social engagement significantly, as the list of players to compete are much smaller, and the players have
an emotional connection with the other players with whom they are competing.
Obviously, every learner has their own learning style, interest and being sharp on the uptake. While
applying game mechanics to asynchronous, online university courses, educators should notice the learner types to
have homogeneous team efforts for the work and provide an effective and a productive learning environment.
Therefore, learners have their freedom to learn at the required pace. Also, most of the game elements such as
rewards, feedback, and fun provide the same level and emotions to learners. However, some of game elements vary
based on the different types of learners. According to Bartt, there are four types of gamers such as achievers,
explorers, socializers, and killers. Achievers prefer to gain "points," levels, equipment and other concrete
measurements of success in a game. Explorers prefer discovering areas, creating maps and learning about hidden
places. They often feel restricted when a game expects them to move on within a certain time frame, as it does not
allow them to look around at their own pace. People who socialize choose to play games for social reasons, rather
than excelling in the actual game itself. They gain the most enjoyment from a game by interacting with other
players, and on some occasions, computer-controlled characters with a highly structured personality. Killers thrive
on competition with other players, and prefer fighting them with scripted computer-controlled opponents (1996).
Using leaderboards in asynchronous courses may not make socializers happy. However, killer type of learners may
be motivated more by leaderboards. For the asynchronous course setting, the leader board part can show individual
progresses or announcements which are from the best students’ works based on the major gamer type in the
asynchronous course. By showing an individual process of students in their leaderboard, students can compare their
past learning and present learning. Therefore, students can make a decision about their goals by themselves.
Addition, being able to compare past and present learning helps to increase students’ intrinsic motivation.
Conclusion
Applying game mechanics to asynchronous is right for online university courses because of motivation and
emotional connections, unique skills, creativity, and teamwork of meaningful choices give to the learners with a
strong sense that they are in control, or that their actions contribute to the community structure at large (Erwin,
2004). It is difficult to find asynchronous courses where game elements are being used for innovative and interesting
methodologies; however, it is easier to find asynchronous courses utilizing some game structure which is ineffective
and boring. Why this happens is difficult to determine, but one reason may be the tendency on the part of the
practitioners and academicians similar to divorce theory and research from practice. Most teachers may not value
game research because teachers’ training has been unsuccessful in relation to game theories and practice in
asynchronous courses. Also, most teachers seem to categorize knowledge into practical aspects as oppose to the
theoretical aspects.
Game and game elements have the potential to become education’s single most useful learning tool and
invoke interest in a learner who is disinterested in the educational learning process. The most crucial requirement is
that the problem should be solved with an effective solution based on a game and game elements’ design. A second
requirement is that the cost of the implementation of the game elements be more proportionate in relation to the
seriousness of the problem it addresses. Game and game elements are an exciting new area and its effectiveness
depends on how today’s designers, researchers and teachers use them in their designs, researches, and education
environments.
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