Chapter 11: Badges and Gamification
People learn best when they are having fun! This is something teachers and instructors have known for thousands of years. There is historical evidence that games and game-based learning were well-known educational ideas in ancient Greece and during the Roman Empire. In addition, the earliest African board games used to teach mathematics, logic, and strategy were designed over 5,000 years ago!
Despite this long and rich history, the term gamification first appeared online in 2008 and gained popularity around 2010. A widely accepted definition of gamification is the use of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts.
This definition is not specific to education. In fact, gamification has been applied to many aspects of our daily lives. After all, airlines allow us to earn miles, brands have loyalty programs and award us with points when we purchase some of their products, many organizations use employee honor rolls to increase...
