Presentation of selected research results on gamification in wearable enhanced MOOC for senior users from the fMOOC project conducted 2014-2015 at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

1. GAMIFICATION DESIGNS
in Wearable Enhanced Learning
for Healthy Ageing
International Conference of Mobile Learning
IMCL 2015, 19-11-2015, Thessaloniki, Greece
http://www.imcl-conference.org/
Prof. Dr. Ilona Buchem (presenter)
Prof. Dr. Jörn Kreutel, Prof. Dr. Agathe Merceron
Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Marten Haesner, Anika Steinert
Geriatrics Research Group, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

2. What are wearables?
2
Reference: The Nunak Group (2013) Wearable Technology, URL http://www.nunatak.com/media/Nunatak_Update_01_2013_EN.pdf
Wearables are body-worn used when the user is moving or engaging in other
tasks (e.g. running). Wearables are a convergence of mobile, internet of
things, augmented reality and big data. The purpose of is to record data and
provide contextual information at the point of experience.
Definition:

3. Current research
3
Key challenges:
Creating appropriate interfaces,
interaction designs and tackling
privacy related issues!
Research gap:
How are senior users interacting with
wearables and how to leverage these
technologies for healthy ageing?

4. Current limitations
4
Currently available fitness trackers have not been able yet to
drive long-term, sustained engagement for a majority of users
independent of age. Some key barriers:
• limited functionalities (e.g. providing only basic health
metrics such as steps taken and calories burnt),
• missing activity triggers (e.g. activity trackers capture data
but do not inspire action), and
• missing mechanisms for sustained motivation to keep fit
D. Ledger, D. McCaffrey, “Inside Wearables How the Science of Human Behavior
Change Offers the Secret to Long-Term Engagement,” Endeavour Partners LLC, 2014.

5. • Learning goals: Learn how to age healthily, especially how
to improve physical fitness though everyday physical activity
• Design: Wearable-enhanced fitness MOOC with guided
workout plans, video content, social interaction, gamification
• Technology: (1) Wearable fitness trackers; (2) Smartphones
5
Fitness MOOC - fMOOC
Fitness MOOC - a wearable
technology enhanced Massive Open
Online Course for Healthy Ageing

6. Learning at
the computer
Learning with
the computer
Experiential learning
Concrete experience
Rationale: Physical activity as a key factor for healthy ageing
Buchem, Merceron, Agathe, Kreutel, Jörn, Haesner, Marten, Steinert, Anika (2015). Embodied Learning with Wearable Fitness Trackers.
CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Workshop on Wearable Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2015, Toledo, Spanien.

7. Course Design
Buchem, Ilona, Merceron, Agathe, Kreutel, Jörn, Haesner, Marten, Steinert, Anika (2015). Wearable-technology Enhanced Learning for
Healthy Ageing: Conceptual Framework and Architecture of the “Fitness MOOC”. Journal of Interaction Design and Architectures, Focus
Section on Innovative Designs with Social, Mobile and Wearable Technologies for Creative Teaching and Learning, 2015.
The conceptual design of fMOOC builds on extended Personal Learning Environments (eX-PLE)
in sense of permeable physical and virtual spaces, which are constructed dynamically
through the practice of “mobility” across spaces, contexts, concepts and time.
Visit 1 Visit 2

8. Buchem et al. (2015): Designing for User Engagement in Wearable-technology Enhanced Learning for Healthy Ageing. iLRN 2015.
System design
1. Fitness tracker sends data
to the fitness tracker app
2. Fitness tracker app sends
data to the FT database
4. fMOOC UI displays
fitness data
3. fMOOC service reads data

9. Gamification design
Buchem, Ilona, Merceron, Agathe, Kreutel, Jörn, Haesner, Marten, Steinert, Anika (2015). Gamification Designs in Wearable-technology
Enhanced Learning for Healthy Ageing. IMCL2015: International Conference on Interactive Mobile Communication, Technologies and
Learning, Thessaloniki, Griechenland.
The fMOOC gamification design encompasses the systemic level (e.g. badges, battles)
and the experiential level (e.g. gameful learning, social interaction) and aims at
improving daily physical activity through an enjoyable, embodied learning experience.

10. TrainingBadges Battle
Design elements (1)

11. Feedback
Comment
Design elements (2)

12. Data measured
• Physical data related to fitness
and health, e.g. steps, movement,
balance, strength, endurance,
mobility.
• Mental data like a feeling of well-
being, satisfaction, challenge,
sense of accomplishment.
• Social data related to interactions
and communication, e.g. content
and tone of comments, reciprocity,
social support.
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Individual balance “sphere” at the intersection
of mental, physical and social conditions
Roggen, Arnrich & Tröster (2006)

13. September
4 weeks
10 seniors
October
4 weeks
10 seniors
User studies - fMOOC@home
20152014
iterative
design
50%50%
All use computers, 86% frequently
All use smartphones, 70% frequently
average age = 69
youngest 62, oldest 75

14. Gamification & orientation
How can gamification enhance orientation, such as improving own fitness?
Endurance
training
Strength
training
Group
training
Recovery
day
Training plans
Levels 1 - 3
55% completed all units in training plans
50% found training plans motivating
45% said their fitness improved after fMOOC
92.5% rated trainings positively

15. Gamification & motivation
How can gamification enhance motivation to improve physical fitness?
Perfect
Training
Steps
Comments
Feedback
Badges
Correlation between the number of earned badges and motivation to “move more” r(18) = .489; p < 0.5
60% found
fitness trackers
motivating
50% found badges
motivating
For the majority fMOOC boosted well-being!

16. Battles
male users vs. female users
Gamification & enjoyment
How can gamification enhance enjoyment, such as the feeling of achievement?
80% enjoyed
the fMOOC
experience
90% would like
to continue
fMOOC
Commenting was more enjoyable than liking posts!
The social element “battle” was
the most frequently viewed
element of the fMOOC app!
Each user visited the
battle on average
18 times per week

17. Special Interest Group - Wearable Enhanced Learning
17
http://ea-tel.eu/special-interest-groups/well/
Thank you!