The Influence of Gamification Design on Students' Interaction in an Online Discussion Forum

• In Event: 35.029 - Instructional Features of Online Learning Environments

Abstract

Students’ interaction is an important component in online courses. Online discussion is one major platform for students to communicate with each other. However, the low participation rate and low quality of students’ messages limit the benefits of students’ interaction on learning. This study investigated whether a Self-Determination Theory based gamification design had the capacity to provide students a better online learning experience. Comparing the prototype design with the baseline class, the gamified class students were more actively engaged in the online discussion, and the interaction was more content-focused and demonstrated more building-on behaviors.

Authors

• Jiaming Cheng, Texas Tech University

• Jing Lei, Syracuse University

• Lili Zhang, Syracuse University