Instructional designers often search for ways to gamify their eLearning courses quickly and efficiently without hiring professional developers and graphic artists. We all know that gamification can get expensive! So, what can you do if your client wants to get an engaging product and, at the same time, does not want to pay a fortune? Luckily, there is a rapid solution that can make everyone happy. Virtual Worlds have been around for quite some time now and many designers have been successfully incorporating them in their eLearning lessons. With Virtual Worlds, the sky is the limit. There are many avatars and settings that you can choose from. All you have to do is choose a Virtual World you want, find the characters that best meet your needs, find settings and create your story around that setting. One of the best features of Virtual Worlds is that you can maneuver your camera very quickly to capture your characters at different angles. You can easily change and capture their … [Read more...] about How to Gamify ELearning Courses through Virtual Worlds
Gamification and Interactivity
ELearning Gamification Techniques That Work!
As eLearning specialists, we always look for ways to make our courses fun and engaging. Many eLearning specialists find that by gamifying their courses they can achieve the desired outcome and increase content retention. In this article, we will look at some of the popular gamification techniques. Narrative – This is the key to successful gamification. Not only that narratives tell stories, but they also offer real life examples that help learners understand main concepts that games are trying to teach. The art of storytelling is the main challenge that instructional designers face here. Not only that they need to think of a plot relevant to what is being taught, but they also have to incorporate protagonists and antagonists to ensure proper flow of the game. Rules – Just like any other type of activity, games must have rules. Without rules, learners will not know what to do and what to expect. Instructional designers should make sure that all the instructions are clear … [Read more...] about ELearning Gamification Techniques That Work!
Why Instructional Designers Should Add Games To ELearning Courses
ELearning gamification is the use of various game mechanics and gaming elements in a non-game context. When used in the workforce, gamification provides a quicker success rate than traditional training methods. Its elements include simple but effective specs like earning points, badges and a leaderboard as achievements (think Foursquare or Duolingo). Forbes’ recently interviewed Adam Penenberg, the author of Play at Work: How Games Inspire Breakthrough Thinking. Penenberg provided insight on how effective eLearning gamification has become in the corporate logistics. In addition, according to the Entertainment Software Association, it is estimated that for 70% of major employers games are quickly becoming the standard way companies enhance the training process for employees. Luxury hotel chain, Marriott, which launched their own eLearning game back in 2011 is using Facebook to offer their gaming application called “My Marriot Hotel” to recruit employees as that game allows … [Read more...] about Why Instructional Designers Should Add Games To ELearning Courses
Designing Games For ELearning: The World Of Gamification And Virtual Reality
In this modern time driven by technology, instructional designers and eLearning professionals have constantly explored virtual worlds as an effective medium for education. Since virtual worlds provide synched interactions between individuals and the environment, they are considered a powerful eLearning tool. Furthermore, users can easily customize virtual worlds to make them even more effective for online education. People play games because they are fun and engaging. Games take players to an imaginary world where they take challenges or win over opponents. Instead of just viewing games as an effective way to pass time, they can be viewed as learning events. In a game, learners can achieve high scores by taking on challenges, they are able to take different roles, as well as experiment and see the results. Gamers are also able to express feelings reflecting on certain situations. Training professionals often offer games to introduce a new learning topic to raise the learners’ … [Read more...] about Designing Games For ELearning: The World Of Gamification And Virtual Reality