Gamification in education and virtual classroom training for professional drivers

Regina Stober

While the idea of using games to enrich learning is not a new concept, as games for learning have been discussed in formal education since the 1960s, it is still often referred to as a trend. And it seems that this trend is here to stay. The GamingDRV project picks up this trend and applies it in an effective way to the field of professional driver training in the EU.

Gamification is often used to engage and motivate learners. And indeed, research suggests that players are usually willing to invest more energy and time to complete an activity if they see it as fun. So why not use this phenomenon for educational purposes?

But for starters, there are a lot of buzzwords out there: Gamification, game-based learning, serious games, business case games, playful learning, gamified learning, and more.

The GamingDRV project tries to keep it simple. For us, gamification is the integration of game design elements and mechanics into non-game contexts such as education and training. These elements can be rewards, feedback, points, badges, progress bars, customized messages, leaderboards, quizzes and more. This understanding of gamification is based on Deterding, et al. 2011.

We refer to the five games developed in the GamingDRV project as GLEs "Gamified Learning Elements". This is because we want to emphasize the learning process that is complemented by playful elements that do not distract from the learning content. They rather support the learning process here and there at didactically strategic points. Designed primarily for professional driver trainers, these GLEs have an associated style and sample questions for that audience but can also be used for other target audiences. The content can be adapted to any learning content by customizing the question sets.

Gamified learning elements (GLE) are an ideal method for creating an effective, engaging virtual learning environment that can help review, reflect, or discuss what has been learned.

This does not mean that randomly adding any kind of game-like elements to teaching and training will guarantee high motivation, learner engagement and learning success. There are many factors to consider that cannot be generalized. The same game or game element may be perceived in completely different ways by different learners or groups of learners in different contexts or at different times.

Games are motivating because they affect three levels: the cognitive, emotional, and social domains of the players (see Tzouvara & Zaharias 2013). Playing while learning is usually an interactive and social process, or at least has elements of it.

“It all depends on collective work. The interactions between learners and teachers are what anchor newly acquired knowledge. Teaching through play is thus a reflexive, collective practice orchestrated by a gamemaster.”

Violette Nemessany, ANRT, rapporteur, 2020, p. 11

But there is more to it than theory and mechanics. Teaching with gamification elements requires a variety of new skills from teachers and trainers who then act as gamemasters, especially in elaborated multiplayer and conversational games that need a facilitator. While the value of games for educational purposes is widely accepted, many educators lack the experience, opportunity or understanding to use digital gamified tools in a virtual classroom situation and need new skills and confidence in their ability to use them. This brings another dynamic into play when thinking about the use of games or game elements in learning processes.Kahneman (2012), it can be argued that tasks that appear too easy are not taken seriously by learners - they are completed without further attention or consideration and quickly forgotten.

This is where the GamingDRV eLearning “GameTrain” comes in. It helps trainers to understand the GamingDRV games and how to use them. It also supports the understanding of how to transfer learning content from a traditional face-to-face classroom to a virtual classroom. There are many things to consider. Communication in a virtual environment is very different from being in the same room with a group of learners. Learners' attention spans are shorter, so learning content needs to be broken into smaller chunks and units. And there is even more that needs to be considered.

Virtual training is a challenge for many trainers in different EU countries where it has not been or is not allowed for driver CPC training (Certificate of Professional Competence). This is changing, with examples such as Finland showing how it can be successfully implemented in driver CPC training, while others such as Germany are still debating. Either way, trainers need to be prepared to train in a virtual environment to avoid being left behind in the digital transformation.

The GamingDRV project addresses some of these issues in several ways for the T&L sector, especially for professional driver training by developing appropriate GLE and a virtual classroom concept, as well as a train the trainer module to prepare teachers and trainers to use the GLE in the virtual classroom. Helpful resources for trainers will be collected in an online resource pool that will serve as their toolkit for the virtual classroom. Learning from Finland, guidelines for the implementation of virtual training will help different stakeholders to also implement it in a sustainable way.

In summary, gamification is a promising approach to education and training professional drivers, but it is not the magic instructional design ingredient that will solve everything. Successful implementation requires strategic planning, collaboration, and alignment with educational goals. Its effectiveness as an instructional approach in different educational contexts remains to be confirmed and may vary from case to case. Gamification requires thoughtful learning design, alignment with learning outcomes, and teacher/trainer empowerment. As educators embrace gamification, they must first navigate the differences between terms and practices. They need new skills, from technology to gamemaster facilitation and more.

Feel free to explore more about gamification and the resources that GamingDRV develops on the website!

References

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Tzouvara, K., & Zaharias, P. (2013). Towards a framework for applying Gamification in Education. In proceedings of the 7th International Conference in Open and Distance Learning (ICODL 2013). Open University of Cyprus: (in press).

Violette Nemessany, ANRT, rapporteur. (2020). Teaching through games - Get learning back into the game. Association Nationale Recherche Technologie, FUTURIS, Le Pouvoir De L'Intelligence Collective. LES CAHIERS FUTURIS.

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