Winner takes all? The Role of Gamification in Learning and Higher Order Processing

The role of gamification in non game settings (Deterding, 2014) and simulated games (Sitzmann, 2011) is growing within higher education (Simoes, Diaz and Vilez, 2013; Betts et al, 2013). This paper presents preliminary... [ view full abstract ]

The role of gamification in non game settings (Deterding, 2014) and simulated games (Sitzmann, 2011) is growing within higher education (Simoes, Diaz and Vilez, 2013; Betts et al, 2013). This paper presents preliminary finding from a study into the use of an online collaborative simulation marketing planning game used by business students taking an introductory marketing module within a Business Masters degree. This study found that there were higher order learning outcomes across the student group and not concentrated within the winner teams. The findings suggest that contarary to previous research (Leemkuil and deJong, 2012) that the winner groups did not necessarily learn the most. So the winners did not take all. There were higher order skills development for the students who performed less well in the game but who moved to an intriscic focus on their own learning, rather than on the extrinsic rewards. Three research questions were addressed: 1; Does an online marketing simulation game engage students higher order cognitive skills? 2. What specific affordances of the online simulation promote learning? Specifically does the game cycle support learning for the winners only? 3. Does the collaborative activity required develop students’ “soft” skills, such as communication and negotiation?