Gamification: A powerful method to boost learner engagement

We have seen children feeling exhilarated on receiving trophies, badges of honor, or recognition certificates in school or during a competitive event.

These rewards validate their efforts and induce a great deal of fun in participating in the activity. Most adults are not different.

When someone notes fireworks in their FitBit app on completing their daily step goals, or when they receive “likes” on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, these serve as positive reinforcement and trigger a sense of achievement.

So what is Gamification and how can it be integrated into eLearning?

Karl Kapp, defines gamification as “using game-based mechanics, aesthetics and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems”.

So gamification is not just about games but is about motivating employees to achieve higher levels of engagement with their training and eventually improve professional performance.

Why is Gamification needed in Corporate Training?

Corporate enterprises have realized that the age-old practice of information hoarding and knowledge silos are roadblocks in employee training. Traditional methods of corporate Training such as classroom lectures are gradually starting to lose its foothold.

These classrooms are filled with participants who are bored and checking their email or are on their phones.

The final straw to this legacy system is the drab PowerPoint content uploaded online which is usually narrated in a monotone voice. This has removed the humanity out of learning.

A modern gamified LMS platform not only increases employee engagement but also promotes knowledge retention.

Engaging the Modern Learner

According to a recent PwC survey, most Companies lack skills that will help them survive in a digital world. With emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, and data analytics becoming increasingly valuable across industries, HR Managers are hard-pressed to fill these open positions.

Additionally, with a large chunk of Millennials and Gen Z joining the workforce, organizations will need to revamp their L& D programs to cater to these new-age learners.

These younger generations have grown up with smartphones, laptops, social media, and instant messaging.

Mixed-media learning programs are essential for engaging this generation that grew up on a steady diet of YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat.

Gamification of corporate learning can be used as a natural extension to their training.

Employee engagement and Motivation

One of the main problems Learning and Development professionals face in rolling out new training programs is getting employees engaged. Without engagement, learners are no more than mute observers.

Gamification helps by turning a large daunting task into a game by motivating learners to complete small bite-size chunks.

This addresses the problem of the short attention span of the modern-day learner.

Gamification engages the brain and triggers mechanisms that signal a connection between performing an action or activity and its consequences.

In a gamified LMS program, a learner is incrementally rewarded as they build skills and achieve small, steady wins.

When a learner experiences a “win”, their brains light up with pleasure-producing chemicals like dopamine and serotonin.

These induce the learner to have feelings of satisfaction, success, achievement, and victory

A Learner tends to feel motivated, focused and fully engaged at the task on hand.

There are two types of human motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Extrinsic motivation involves doing an activity for its external rewards, like money, praise, or something tangible. While Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, drives behaviors that result in internal feelings of achievement like enjoyment or satisfaction.

KloudLearn’s gamified platform appeals to individuals with both types of motivation.

It appeals to the intrinsically motivated as the learner receives instant feedback on their performance. This encourages self-paced learning.

KloudLearn also appeals to the extrinsically motivated through a system of badges, points, and certificates.

Digital badges symbolize the achievements of learners and are visual representations of a learner’s competence-based recognition.

Badges are one way to reward top achievers while letting participants show off their learning bling on their company’s social platforms.

KloudLearn’s analytics and reporting module when integrated with a gamified LMS enable HR managers to look at the training program data and see which learners are slacking.

HR Managers can then use this information as a springboard for an in-person discussion.

KloudLearn makes it very easy to create unique badges with customized images & text that can be mapped to skill points.

Once these badges are assigned to groups, social learning is enhanced as the peer group is made aware of each other competence levels and progress.

The role of Gamification in Social Learning

“No one can whistle a symphony; it takes a whole orchestra to play it,” -this popular proverb can aptly be used in the context of social collaboration.

A gamified LMS platform like KloudLearn also enables learners to share content, comment, rate/vote, and collaborate in an open environment.

KloudLearn social learning features such as its built-in group feed when combined with gamification progress indicators such as points and badges serve as an innovative method to encourage collaboration and teamwork.

Final thoughts

One of the biggest challenges faced by L&D Admins is low rates of engagement with the training content. This results in poor participation by employees which finally manifests itself in low course completion rates. KloudLearn with its innovative Gamification module makes the process of learning immersive and interesting. This approach can help create a more skilled and adaptive workforce in the long run. After all it seems that to get some serious learner engagement all you have to do is to add a little gaming element to your training. Please Click here, to know more about the Gamification feature of KloudLearn.