Systematic Literature Review: An Exploration of Gamification in the Context of Engineering Education

摘要

Gamification - the application of game design elements to real-world situations not commonly associated with games - is quickly expanding in the world of education. With excellent potential to engage students, gamification has achieved a strong footing in K-12 research, due largely to the grassroots efforts of non-profit organizations and public school teachers who advocate it in classroom design. However, little effort exists to explore the implications of gamification within the realm of higher education - and especially engineering education - whose potential benefits from gamification meet or exceed those of the K-12 system. By synthesizing literature within engineering education and gamification, this paper analyzes the state of the literature and explores the fit of gamification to learning in the engineering context. To this end, two facets of gamification are defined and explored: Motivational Gamification, where game elements meant to motivate particular behaviors are applied to classroom design, and Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL), where video games themselves are used as learning tools. A case is developed to highlight key areas of research in contemporary engineering education, such as the development of complex problem-solving skills, and identify areas where gamification is being applied to these dilemmas. Future areas of research are also proposed.