Gradequest - Evaluating the impact of using game design techniques in an undergraduate course

The use of game design techniques in a non-gaming context or ‘gamification’ [6]offers the promise to make education more motivating and more enjoyable to students. This study reports on both the design and evaluation of gameful class (N= 17) that incorporates a variety of game design techniques through an online application named ‘Gradequest’. The course was evaluated using three methods. First, a quantitative survey was used to collect data to measure levels of intrinsic motivation and engagement for the course. Second, a focus group session was held to obtain qualitative feedback from the students. Third, a teaching log was recorded to capture the instructor’s perspective. The project concludes that the gameful instruction did not necessary lead to higher levels of intrinsic motivation or engagement in comparison to traditional teaching methods, and that further improvements to the design and documentation of the course are necessary. Furthermore, the project found that mediating factors (e.g., the role of the teacher, the clarity of the teaching materials, etc.) outweigh the gameful format in facilitating intrinsic motivation. The findings of the study are used to formulate recommendations towards the design of gameful instruction