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You might have heard the terms “gamification” or “game-based learning” used in educational circles, but you may not have yet had the chance to explore the differences between these approaches. They both aim to make course and learning experiences more engaging, but they do so in very distinct unique ways. This post aims to show an example of each applied in a course, so that you might consider whether either is a fit for a course. If you’d like, you might start by learning a bit more about how gamification impacts learning.

What’s the Difference?

Gamification is all about adding elements of games to learning activities or course design. Think of it as sprinkling in points, badges, team activities, or reward structures to motivate your learners. For example, you could award badges for completing assignments or participating in class discussions. Or, you could use a game wheel to choose which teams or individuals will answer a question or present an idea. The goal here is to make learning more enjoyable and to encourage positive behaviors through fun interactions.

Game-based learning, on the other hand, involves using games as learning tools or exercises in a course. In this approach, the game itself is designed to teach specific skills or concepts. Imagine here a math game that requires learners to solve puzzles using algebraic equations to advance on the board. Or using a board game like Monopoly to teach the principles of market economies and supply and demand. The game itself might be board-based or digital, but in either case aims to achieve the same goal. It provides an engaging experience where learners can practice and apply what they’ve learned.

So here’s the difference, then. In a gamified classroom, your learners might earn badges for completing in-class or asynchronous activities, fostering a sense of achievement and building team morale for activities. In a game-based learning classroom, they might play a lab simulation game or role-play real-world scenarios, allowing them to experience and understand the material dynamically. Both gamification and game-based learning have their own strengths and can be powerful tools to support learning, motivation, and engagement. By understanding the differences between these two approaches, you can choose the right strategy to meet your specific teaching goals and create a more engaging learning environment for your learners.

Gamification in a Marketing Course

Syd Periera (Business), who teaches the MGMT8890 – Emerging Platforms course, has gamified the course in several different ways. This course focuses on how technology changes and evolves, and how it can be leveraged in marketing campaigns and for organizations. Over two terms, Syd has used gamification principles and practices to create what he feels is a more dynamic and motivating learning experience.

In Syd’s course, students are highly motivated by awards and recognition. As they work toward the course outcomes through project-based learning, Syd thought to add gamification elements to boost morale and sustain motivation. Gamified question sets are used to review content, and the leaderboards are shared as a weekly Top 10, with shout-outs given in class and in announcements. Other fun learning activities take the form of online scavenger hunts and “personality quizzes” and add to the engagement.

Badges and “awards” bring mini-recognition into regular tasks. Students can earn leveled badges for things like contributing to class discussions, submitting assignments early or on time, or for performance goals. There are many different types of badges to earn, based on the category of topics of study and project work. Syd feels these game elements cultivate a culture of playfulness and high performance, creating a safe and supportive environment for students to learn and prepare for the profession outside of school.

Syd takes the time to plan and award “certificates” recognizing unique individual accomplishments. For example, students have earned certificates for having the “Most Successful Account” based on reach and exposure, or for “Best Overall Account Management.” Syd creates a unique certificate for each student, recognizing their unique strengths. These “certificates” are printed and awarded in class to the applause of their peers, and students frequently share their achievements on social media, adding a layer of interpersonal recognition to their digital accomplishments.

There’s a storytelling aspect to the course design, too. Using real-world scenarios written as narratives, Syd developed authentic assessments that get students to engage creatively with problems they’ll encounter in the field. The assessment design also supports creativity and choice by giving students a list of topics/ problems to solve and flexibility in approaching them. For other assignments, Syd uses playful “battles” to have students do friendly, team-based competitions.

Looking to the future, Syd is exploring the idea of creating a virtual escape room to incorporate in this or other courses. Through these creative, playful and gamified ideas, Syd has felt the course learning experience has transformed, becoming more engaging, relatable, and enjoyable for students.

Game-Based Learning in CDEV Courses

Lisa Bauman (Career Development) has been exploring the use of game-based learning to enhance student engagement and support course learning outcomes in CDEV courses at Conestoga. In one course in particular, this looked like incorporating a board game called Online Storyteller to help students explore and map their personal career motivations and goals.

In the course design, Lisa wanted to evaluate different options to help students better understand their own skills, abilities, and values. The aim of this was to support students in self-analyzing their reasons for choosing a career path. She found that many existing options had limitations, such as lacking a Canadian context, not reflecting modern learners’ diverse experiences and contexts or requiring expensive certification processes. After consulting with her Chair and attending a relevant conference, Lisa discovered the Online Storyteller board game. The game uniquely incorporates the core reason why people make career decisions— the other important people in our lives (family, peers, and networks), which shows it’s soundly based on evidence from the field of career development.

This board game turns exploring your reasons for career choices into play. It’s developed to use personal narratives and tries to help students understand themselves through discussing their lived experiences (of course, with the choice of what they disclose). The game allows players to self-reflect and make decisions based on various evidence-supported scenarios in a fun, non-competitive, and experiential way. Students have found this professional self-evaluation framed as a game to be both motivating and enjoyable.

The game can be facilitated in person with a physical board, cards, and pieces, or in an online portal where students click on cards and interact with a virtual board. This flexibility makes it ideal for different learning modes and needs. The game involves students in discussions about their experiences and self-analysis, making it a social and interactive experience. It supports quiet reflection and provides a safe environment for sharing, making it inclusive for all types of learners.

The end result of the game is a map of the student’s strengths, values, and other personal qualities, which helps clarify their motivations and possible career decisions. Impressively, Lisa reports that all students in her sections showed up for sessions using this game, which she feels highlights its effectiveness in engaging students.

Facilitative skills for faculty are also a key piece of this game-based learning approach. For Lisa, it was important to support colleagues in choosing how they wanted to facilitate the game with their students. This facilitation also required modelling the types of trust, communication, and interaction faculty want students to build in their game-play. This approach allows for flexibility in how the game is played, giving students the rules and allowing them to explore within a structured yet open framework. Lisa feels building trust and collaboration among students and faculty is important, making the learning experience more dynamic and interactive.

Over time, Lisa looks forward to future course development on related themes, where she might again explore other opportunities for game-based learning related to professional goal decision-making.

Summary

Both gamification and game-based learning have their strengths and can be powerful tools to support learning, motivation, and engagement.  These two examples aim to help you better understand how each can be incorporated into lesson planning or course design. By understanding the differences between gamification and game-based learning, I hope you might feel empowered to determine if either could be an effective strategy to create a more engaging learning environment for your students. If you’d like to learn more about this, please contact Teaching and Learning or read more about Gamification.