Week 5: Virtual Education – Smart Classroom of the Future

Up until the early 2000s, education occurred only in a classroom of students with a teacher who led the process. Physical presence was deemed as the most effective way to teach, and any other type of learning was questionable at best. Then the Internet happened, and the rest is history. E-learning has since then become a rapidly growing industry, all the while constantly evolving to accommodate the various technological advances that have occurred since.

There is a plethora of different e-learning tools, and the good ones are able to be facilitated from virtually anywhere, bridging geographical gaps and increasing convenience of accessibility. E-learning also offers the ability to share material in all kinds of formats such as videos, slideshows, word documents and PDFs. And with the invention of live video recording and instant messaging, conducting webinars (live online classes) and communicating with professors via chat and message forums have also become a possibility. Lastly, e-learning is affordable (and often free), which provides the learners with the ability to fit learning around their lifestyles, effectively allowing even the busiest person to further a career and gain new qualifications.

The learning landscape looks completely different today than it did five years ago. The way that learners are learning is changing dramatically: we see individuals learning in airline queues making the most of their spare time, in cafes watching a new video tutorial before they get into a meeting; in subways and buses playing a game or learning a new process with focus and intent that has not been witnessed in digital learning earlier. 



Furthermore, learners today are well versed in the use of smartphones, text messaging and the internet, hence they expect content to be short and personalized and are more committed to their learning goals. These trends indicate the need for change for both content and technology in the learning space. The need now exists for learning solution providers to visualize what has not been seen before and formulate solutions that blend modern learning with traditional and personalized learning experiences and bring these at par with contemporary mobile applications and just-in-time learning methods.

One of the many e-learning trends to watch out for in 2017 is gamification. Gamification is the application of game design elements and game principles to non-game contexts. Prior to the term coming into use, some fields did use elements from video games, like studies in learning disabilities and scientific visualization. When it first appeared in Google Trends in 2010, the term was predicted to be the "next big thing", due to its potential as a strong strategy for creating high impact and immersive learning. Established enterprise firms like Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe have started using gamification in various applications and processes.

Why should we incorporate gaming elements in learning then? The way games motivate and engage players with challenges, while providing feedback on how their progress encourages players to continually progress (through levels) and develop their skill, is remarkably similar to the learning process. If we were to apply this strategy to education, we could address the weaknesses of traditional classroom and page turning learning.

A video-based module that explores sexual harassment issues & law in the workplace via interactive storytelling

eLearningIndustry outlines a few gaming elements that can be used when designing e-learning tools or platforms. Here are a few examples:

1. Motivation

Learning is often challenging as the learner lacks motivation. Most games are based on the premise that the player wants to win or at least get to be the best they can. This is done by presenting the player with a series of small achievable challenges or steps (quests) along the way to reaching an overall goal. Similarly, a course can be designed with small incremental challenges to help the learner improve their skills or knowledge in order to reach the overall objective.

2. Learner-centricity
Games are interactive and give a large degree of control to the player. Using this to improve the linear page-turning experience of traditional e-learning, we can design activities that require action from the learner. Rather than present information, pose a question instead, set a task, get the learner grappling with the issues and making choices. Transform the learning from passive to an active learner-driven experience.

3. Personalization

In games, the player reaches a certain level or achieves certain goals. Games provide a sense of purpose and achievement by awarding goodies and rewards and unlocking the next levels when you successfully complete the ones before. Design the course in a way that allows learners to see their progression clearly. Use rewards such as badges, to award them when they reach certain competencies linked to the course objectives. Interactive menus can provide learner pathways that are tailored for individuals, unlocking the course so that learners can access content in a variety of ways. Progress indicators dressed up in rich graphics can easily signpost a learner to what they’ve already achieved and what else is still left for them to do.

An environmental awareness course shows how a visual menu can be used to branch to small scenario questions & how ‘Badges’ can be used to reward learners for good decision-making

Other than in learning, gamification has also been applied to almost every aspect of life. Marketing and customer engagement are some popular uses of this approach that we may have previously come across. For example, the McDonald's Monopoly game that is extremely popular in Singapore uses elements of the classic boardgame to increase its product sales. When you buy certain products from McDonald's, you receive tickets which represent spaces on the Monopoly game board. By collecting all pieces of the same color, you will then be eligible for a prize.