Gamified solutions for vocational e-learning

In the new digital and online landscape, there is a significant potential to apply gamification in non‑formal education to improve learners’ experience and engagement. The concept of gamification in education refers to the presence or addition of game features in activities that are not traditionally considered games. It refers to computer games and online achievements that can be applied in various ways. Gamification in education uses the mechanics and dynamics of games to facilitate learning.

In this context, four organizations from Romania, Italy and Turkey created a multidisciplinary consortium to implement the “Game-Based Learning: Innovative e-learning pedagogies for VET educators” (INNOVET) Erasmus+ project. The project aims to develop an innovative high-performing digital education ecosystem with supportive tools for vocational education and training (VET) providers. The current research study is a precursory step in creating the ecosystem.

This study set out to determine the efficacy of gamification in the educational process to launch an innovative game-based learning program. This paper describes and discusses the methods used in this investigation to reach its objectives. The present study involved VET trainers, teachers and students to define the process of gamification in education and its elements.

Chapter 1 presents the study methodology which was created and put into practice by the research consortium in accordance with the goals, qualitative and quantitative performance indicators and impact and sustainability objectives of the INNOVET project. This technique was created to help professionals and educators do primary and secondary research, gather good practices for gamification in the educational process, analyse, evaluate and validate them.

Following up on the methodology, Chapter 2 describes in greater detail the analyses of good practice games that have been collected by all the partners. There are presented 20 good practices collected from a multicultural perspective: Romania, Italy and Turkey. Researchers identified the best digital teaching practices based on a common set of criteria: practicability, topic, resources and skills, aesthetic elements, elements of mechanics, results and review.

As part of the study program, focus groups were held to examine the requirements, features and game components that the target groups would find more appealing and encourage participation in game-based learning programs. In Chapter 3, the researchers analysed the results of the focus group discussions undertaken with VET teachers and trainers.

Chapter 4 is concerned with the analyses of the survey applied to VET students that could be interested in gamification. This section provides an important opportunity to advance the understanding of the most effective instructional techniques and instruments suitable for online education, taking into consideration VET students’ perspectives on gamification based on their needs and preferences.

Chapter 5, the final one, sets out conclusions and recommendations of the study, with the outlook of using these further in the INNOVET project for designing game-based learning programs and integrating these into a digital education ecosystem. The conclusions provide an interpretation of the main research findings uncovered by the current study. Then, the final chapter draws upon the conclusions and sets out recommendations concerning the implications of the findings in the project as well as future research and practices in this area.