In a previous post titled, “The Secrets to Developing Highly Effective, Interactive Courses,” we discussed the most effective ways to incorporate interactivity into training. Gamification was identified as one of the key ways to make your training content more relevant, engaging, and memorable.
Gamification differs from video games in that it involves game elements being incorporated into training. As Karl Kapp points out in TD magazine, “Gamification provides the designer or trainer with the tools to think about instruction from the perspective of engagement and activity without the large-scale investment in the development of a full-blown instructional game…[and] without the heavy time commitment necessary to play most games.”
A straight video game is something played for enjoyment, while gamification efforts center on building mastery of a particular subject (one more related to a learner’s job than discovering which castle the princess is in). Building mastery is a key element in interactivity because it gives people a sense of accomplishment that, in the context of the workplace, holds more value for the learner than merely having fun.
Use structural gamification as a tool to move the learner through your content.
Although there are many subtypes of gamification, there are two main types for us to consider: structural and content. According to Kapp, structural gamification is “the application of game elements to propel a learner through content, with no alteration or changes to the content.” So, with this style of gamification, learners might earn points, levels, etc. as they progress through content.
We see this approach often, simply because it’s relatively easy to just add points in. However, just adding points to training isn’t going to maintain learner interest indefinitely. Extrinsic motivation is used when learners don’t have an interest in the content and should be used more heavily when a learner has low interest in the topic. There should be incentivizing around the points in order to give them value beyond simple numbers housed in the training.
Pep Boys demonstrated this highly effectively with their safety and loss training. Each day, employees would be tested on the monthly training they received with a quiz-type game that could win them cash prizes. The entire quiz required 30–90 seconds to take each day, and if a question was answered incorrectly, a short training intervention would occur. The program was highly successful with a voluntary participation rate of 95%, a 45% reduction in safety incidents, and a 60% increase in employee theft hotline calls.
Use content gamification to move the learner through increasing levels of understanding.
Rather than just moving the learner through content, content gamification is like scaffolding, helping move learners from one level of understanding to the next. This sort of approach should be utilized when you need a story to encompass your instructional message as opposed to just providing points for viewing created materials. In gamified content, the challenges start out easy with plenty of guiding hints for the learner to use as a crutch. However, the hints are gradually withdrawn and the challenges increase in difficulty as the learner progresses.
A deeper look into the Pep Boys example reveals that the company went beyond simple structural gamification to full content gamification. “Associates answered quick, targeted questions related to risk, loss prevention, safety, and operational policies and procedures—standard questions in these areas. If they answered correctly, they played a slot-machine game titled ‘Quiz to Win’ for a chance to win cash prizes. If they answered incorrectly, the system immediately presented a short training piece designed to specifically address the topic covered in the initial question. Questions repeated at various intervals until the associate demonstrated mastery of the topic.”
This is interactivity that is specific to learner input, making the learning more powerful and targeted. If learners have already demonstrated mastery of a specific type of content, making them go through training on a topic they already grasp is redundant. However, by redirecting a learner to additional training at the point where it’s needed, training is made more relevant.
Relevance is key when choosing gamification as your strategy.
In all gamification it’s important to have a clearly stated goal at the start, and as with all training, have things well-structured with a meaningful progression. Don’t get sucked in to making something “fun” for fun’s sake and then try to justify it by saying, “Oh, well it’s interactive.” Throwing game elements at training without considering how they can be used to further learning is ineffective.
Gamification is something that should be considered when you need to immerse learners in the context in which the actions they will be performing occur. As Kapp states, “For concepts to be retained and behaviors changed, the person learning the new information needs to be engaged, actively involved, and aware of how the learning fits into his daily demands.”
Just because gamification is new and shiny doesn’t mean you shouldn’t overlook simple solutions and go straight for the popular trend. As with all solutions, it’s important to start out by seriously considering alternatives. Scenario-based approaches can be just as effective, for example, as we have discussed in another blog about interactivity. Whatever option you choose, it’s always best to go for the simplest solution for achieving the results you want.