In the world of gamification, what can you gamify? You can gamify your classes, your business, and even your life! There are many things you can gamify in these different areas to increase student retention and help you get more from the work you do. In this article I will discuss what engineering students can gamify, and how it can help their classes and their career.
gamification is simply using digital tools to enhance or prompt certain behaviors or responses. For example, the classic game of hide and seek are often gamified with taking an accurate measurement of where someone is hiding. This improves students' spatial intelligence by prompting them to be careful about where they are looking, while also prompting them to seek out knowledge about the objects that they are searching for. Gamification can also be used in the engineering field. If you were designing a blueprint for a student's project, would you give the student a small piece of paper with instructions on how to cut the materials needed to construct the structure, a diagram of the blueprint, or perhaps even a video with step-by-step instructions?
Gamification works really well for Engineering students. By giving them a tangible reward (like a blue print) when they complete a certain task, engineers are more apt to stick to the plan and complete the project on time. Gamification doesn't have to be a big piece of paper; small drawings or hand-drawn schematics can be given to engineering students instead. The use of hand-drawn diagrams helps them understand more of the process of designing the blueprint.
Gamification should not be limited to just engineering courses. You can apply it in any course you teach. You want to add challenge to the core curriculum. It will allow students to become more self-driven and to take responsibility for their own learning. This will allow your engineering students to think for themselves while they are completing their projects.
Students should be able to modify their blueprints at any time. For example, if they notice a mistake on the blueprint but don't have the ability to alter it, they can make a new one using the design template. Or if they have questions about how to make modifications to their blueprint, they can contact the teacher for assistance. The teacher can modify the blueprint as needed without penalizing the student for modifying the original blueprint.
You may also want to offer students a way to track their progress. The simplest way is to ask each student to post their score online once they have completed their project. Students may also be encouraged to leave feedback for the instructor, so that the instructor can see how difficult a specific assignment may be for them to complete. Some instructors may even create an online quiz to measure their own progress after each assignment is complete.
It is important to keep the concept of gamification in mind when you are teaching engineering students. Each task that they have to perform during each assignment could be turned into a competition. You could require students to submit a design to be modeled on, for example. Then, once the blueprint is complete, students will be asked to complete a task based on the blueprint that was given to them.
While some engineering students may prefer to do their assignments by themselves, others may need extra help. There are many different options available to those who may need assistance. You may want to consider providing brainstorming materials or other tools to your students to facilitate the process. In this way, you can gamify your teaching.
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