1. How to Elevate Your
Learning:
What is Gamification?
Is there any Science Behind It?
By Karl M. Kapp
Bloomsburg University
Gamification of Learning &Instruction
EMAIL: kkapp@bloomu.edu
TWITTER: @kkapp
BLOG: http://karlkapp.com/kapp‐notes/

2. Covert Takeaway Challenge

3. Notes
Slides
Additional Ideas
www.karlkapp.com/kapp-notes

4. Brief history of…
The World

9. You know, we could make human growth
hormone; all we have to do is isolate the
gene.
‐‐ Herbert W. Boyer, Ph.D., Co‐Founder of Genentech

13. We’ve learned and struggled for a few
years here figuring out how to make a
decent phone. PC guys are not going
to just figure this out.
They’re not going to just walk in.
--Palm CEO Ed Colligan, 16 Nov 2006

14. This is our best iPhone launch yet — more than
9 million new iPhones sold — a new record for
first weekend sales—Tim Cook, 2013.
Palm sold to HP in 2010, by 2011
Palm was done.

15. ENIAC's main control panel

19. 4
2
3

23. What variables do I
balance to keep my
person happy?
How should I
manage my time?

24. What leadership
strategy should I
use?

29. Not another
online
lecture.

30. Sorry, had you
on mute, could
you repeat the
question.

31. I am going to
need more
coffee.

32. “Study of 2,300 people found only
6% of organizations are successful
in influencing behavior change.”
‐‐Al Switzler

33. New
Instructional
Approaches
are Needed

34. Gamification

35. Gamification
Lots of Hype

36. Gartner Group predicts by 2015, 40 percent
of Global 1000 organizations will use
gamification as the primary mechanism to
transform business operations.

37. Gartner Group predicts that by 2014, 80
percent of current gamified applications
will fail to meet business objectives,
primarily due to poor design.

38. Let’s Play
Fact or Fishy…

39. Rules
• A statement is presented
– If “true” indicate: FactX
– If “false” indicate: FishyX
• Text Response:
Standard Texting Fees
Apply! But you have
UNLIMITED TEXTING
Take out
your text‐
machines

40. How To Vote via Texting
FACT01
FACT02
FISHY01
TIPS
1. Polleverywhere has no access to your phone number
2. Capitalization doesn’t matter, but spaces and spelling do
FACT01

41. Room is Divided in Half
teama
teamb

42. “Games” and “Gamification”
are the same thing.
Is that Fact
or Fishy?

44. What is this “game” stuff?
Gamification is
the use of gaming
elements
integrated into a
training program
aligned with
training and/or
business goals to
promote change
in behavior
Game-based
Learning is the
use of a game to
teach knowledge,
skills and abilities
to learners using
a self-contained
space.
Simulation
Learning is a
realistic, controlledrisk environment
where learners can
practice specific
behaviors and
experience the
impacts of their
decisions.

45. What is this “game” stuff?
• Gamification is to Learning Game as:
– Part is to Whole
– Piece is to Puzzle
– Slice is to Pie
– Steering Wheel is to Car
• Gamification uses elements of games but is not
a game in-and-of itself.

46. What is this “game” stuff?
Gamification + Simulation = Learning Game

47. Gamification
Elements that
Aid Learning
1. Story
2. Challenge
3. Mystery
4. Characters/Avatar
5. Challenge
6. Levels
7. Feedback
8. Replayability
9. Freedom to Fail
10.Asethetics
11.Time
12.Rewards

48. Gamification
Elements that
Aid Learning
1. Story
2. Challenge
3. Mystery
4. Characters/Avatar
5. Challenge
6. Levels
7. Feedback
8. Replayability
9. Freedom to Fail
10.Asethetics
11.Time
12.Rewards
NOT Enough Time 

49. Elements of
Games
1. Reward Structures
2. Feedback
3. Story
4. Challenge

50. Adding points, badges and
leaderboard to any training
makes it awesome!
Is that Fact
or Fishy?

51. Fishy… if it was that easy…this would be the most engaging
game in the world.

52. 20% increase in profile completion.

53. Use coins, points and rewards to provide feedback on
performance, updates on progress and level of
correctness.
Kapp, K. M. (2012) The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. New York: Pfeiffer. Chapter Four. Pages 89-98.

54. The value, or size, of an anticipated reward influences
the motivational signal sent to the brain only within
the contexts of the reward system.
Howard-Jones. P.A., & Demetriou, S. (2008, September 11). Uncertainty and engagement with learning games.
Instructional Science, 37, 519-536.

55. Receiving a PREDICTABLE reward
releases one shot of dopamine.
Howard-Jones. P.A., & Demetriou, S. (2008, September 11). Uncertainty and engagement with learning games.
Instructional Science, 37, 519-536.

56. Receiving an UNPREDICTABLE reward
releases two shots of dopamine.
Yeah, me!
Howard-Jones. P.A., & Demetriou, S. (2008, September 11). Uncertainty and engagement with learning games.
Instructional Science, 37, 519-536.

57. What can you do?
Intelligently add game elements to
instruction. Use points, rewards
and badges to convey
meaning…not simply completion.

58. Feedback

60. Provide specific comments
about errors and suggestions
for improvement.
Encourages learners to focus
their attention thoughtfully on
the task rather than on simply
getting the right answer.
Shute, V. J., Ventura, M., Bauer, M. I., & Zapata‐Rivera, D. (2009). Melding the power of serious games and
embedded assessment to monitor and foster learning: Flow and grow. In U. Ritterfeld, M. J. Cody, & P.
Vorderer (Eds.), Serious Games: Mechanisms and Effects. Philadelphia, PA: Routledge/LEA. 295‐321.

61. Games like The Sims provide feedback on
many dimensions which provide
opportunities to consider tradeoffs and
higher level cognitive thinking.

63. Leaderboards provide
opportunities for players to
receive feedback about their
performance as compared to
others.
Comparative and
relative feedback

64. What can you do?
Use feedback to inform learners of
errors in thinking and to focus them
on the task they are learning.

65. Learners remember clinical facts
better…
When presented as bulleted
list rather than presented as
a story.
Is that Fact
or Fishy?

66. Researchers have found that the
human brain has a natural affinity for
narrative construction.
Yep, People tend to remember facts
more accurately if they encounter
them in a story rather than in a list.
And they rate legal arguments as more
convincing when built into narrative
tales rather than on legal precedent.
Carey, B. (2007) this is Your Life (and How You Tell it). The New York Times. Melanie Green
http://www.unc.edu/~mcgreen/research.html. Chapter 2 “The Gamification of Learning and
Instruction.

67. Story Elements
1. Characters
2. Plot (something has to happen).
3. Tension
4. Resolution
5. Conclusion

68. NikePlus Stats for Karl

70. What can you do?
Use meaningful stories. Provide the
context for the learning.

71. One way to engage learners is to…
Present them with a difficult
challenge.
Is that Fact
or Fishy?

72. Fact.
Provide a challenge
Jones, B., Valdez, G., Norakowski, J., & Rasmussen, C. (1994). Designing learning and technology for educational
reform. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. [Online]. Available:
http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/profile/profwww.htm and Schlechty, P. C. (1997). Inventing better schools: An action plan
for educational reform. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

73. Re-design the Instruction to
Start with a Challenge

74. Sales Training
• Course Objectives
– Adhere to the proper policy for providing
information to physicians
– Understand what is permissible to share with
the doctor and what is not
– Identify off-label sales practices

75. It is your first day on the job as a sales
representative and you have just
witnessed a rival sales representative
providing off-label information to a
physician you are going to see in five
minutes.
What is the first thing you should do?

76. What can you do?
Give your learners the “Koboshyi
Maru” equivalent.

77. “Koboshyi Maru” is a no win,
difficult situation designed to
teach “thinking.”

78. Putting it All Together

80. ExactTarget is a global marketing organization focused
on digital marketing tools – email, mobile, and web
and was recently purchased by Salesforce.com.
ExactTarget is a leading cloud marketing platform
used by more than 6,000 companies including Coca‐
Cola, Gap and Nike.

81. Introducing a new product, MobileConnect and
wanted to bring the sales force up‐to‐speed on the
features and functionality of the product.

82. VENDOR
http://www.theknowledgeguru.com/

89. Player Results
“I can’t tell you how many people are coming to me wanting another
game solution.”
“The repetition of the different paths helped me retain the information.”
“I’m a pretty competitive person so challenging myself to get one of the
top scores added a layer of fun to learning about the MobileConnect
product.”
“The game was a fun way to learn about MobileConnect. I enjoyed the
scenario‐type questions, which put it all into context.”

90. Business Results
Average contract value 2x higher than for previous mobile product.
First call resolution ($35 a call/average) is up 45%.
Of all the launches done in the previous two years prior to
MobileConnect, the sales team built the quickest pipeline for this
product.

91. Business Results
Average contract value 2x higher than for previous mobile product.
First call resolution ($35 a call/average) is up 45%.
Of all the launches done in the previous two years prior to
MobileConnect, the sales team built the quickest pipeline for this
product.
Larsen DP, Butler AC, Roediger HL 3rd. Repeated testing improves long‐term retention relative to repeated study: a randomized controlled
trial. Med Educ 43: 1174–1181, 2009.
Dobson, J. L. (2013) Retrieval practice is an efficient method of enhancing the retention of anatomy and physiology information Advances
in Physiology Education 37: 184–191, 2013; doi:10.1152/advan.00174.2012.

92. Retention benefits between
35% and 61% with 41%
average.
Subject matter was Anatomy
and Physiology
Dobson, J. L. (2013) Retrieval practice is an efficient method of enhancing the retention of anatomy and physiology information Advances
in Physiology Education 37: 184–191, 2013; doi:10.1152/advan.00174.2012

93. A study using a randomized control group conducted a
trial between Aug 10, 2009, and Nov 30, 2012, at ten
sites in southeast India with over 500 subjects.
Working Indian men (aged 35—55 years) with impaired
glucose tolerance were randomly assigned to either a
mobile phone messaging intervention or standard care.
Ramachandran, A. et. al. Effectiveness of mobile phone messaging in prevention of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle modification in men in
India: a prospective, parallel‐group, randomised controlled trial The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Early Online Publication, 11
September 2013 doi:10.1016/S2213‐8587(13)70067‐6

94. “Use stairs instead of
an Elevator”
“Avoid snacks while
watching TV; you may
overeat. “
Ramachandran, A., et. al.., Effectiveness of mobile phone messaging in prevention of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle modification in men in
India: a prospective, parallel‐group, randomised controlled trial The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Early Online Publication, 11
September 2013 doi:10.1016/S2213‐8587(13)70067‐6

95. Lowered risk of developing
Type 2 diabetes by 36%.
Ramachandran, A., et. al.., Effectiveness of mobile phone messaging in prevention of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle modification in men in
India: a prospective, parallel‐group, randomised controlled trial The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Early Online Publication, 11
September 2013 doi:10.1016/S2213‐8587(13)70067‐6

96. Covert Takeaway Challenge

97. Covert Takeaways
Once upon a time, there was a well
known doctor, Gee Ames. Dr. G.
Ames always told engaging stories
to her patients to encourage the
behavior of maintaining their
treatment plan because learning
needs to be engaging to change
behavior. It was highly effective
and her patients were among the
most compliant in the hospital.
She was also a teaching doctor and
taught interns. She was widely
regarded as the best instructor
within the hospital but she did not
always tell her interns the answer
to questions because she knows
that is ok for a learner to struggle.

98. She also really liked games. She played
Halo all the time. So she knew what made
games motivating. One day her
colleagues wanted to create gamification
for examining X‐Rays.
They simply gave points for correctly
reading an X‐Ray. Created a leaderboard
and handed out badges.
The wise doctor, Gee Ames, informed her
colleagues that simply adding points,
badges and leaderboards does not make
learning effective. You need context,
feedback and challenge she chastised.

99. Her wisdom prevailed and an
effective gamification solution was
put into place. As a result, she was
able to rise to the position of chief
medical officer in a large
healthcare organization.
Today, she helps thousands of
people through intelligent
gamification—so can you.

101. Copy of Slides and Notes available at
www.karlkapp.com
Contact Karl at:
karlkapp@gmail.com