This document discusses using gamification and game elements in teacher professional development programs to increase engagement and motivation. It notes that traditional PD is often seen as boring and not relevant by teachers. The Epic Academy program developed in Surry County Schools uses a quest-based learning system inspired by games to provide teachers with choice-driven, self-paced PD. Teachers can complete quests to earn badges, experience points, and continuing education credits. Data shows the program has increased teacher participation in PD and fostered a sense of community. The document advocates starting small, leveraging teacher experts, and embracing iteration when implementing similar gamified PD programs.

1. Beyond badges
why simple gamification isn’t
enough with teacher
professional development

2. Lucas Gillispie
Director of Academic and
Digital Learning
Surry County Schools
On Twitter:
@lucasgillispie

3. epicacademy.info

5. Why?

6. Feedback on typical PD from classroom
teachers:
“The PD is dictated to me...”
“It’s boring...”
“I don’t have time...”
“I can read PowerPoint slides, myself...”
“I’m too tired at the end of a day of
teaching for a workshop...”
“It doesn’t address my needs...”
“There’s no
follow-
up...”
“When will I use this again?”
10

7. 10

8. What teachers really want in their PD:
Opportunities for
networking and
collaboration...
Differentiation!
CHOICE!!
Variety in format.
Motivation and inspiration.
Connectedness - relational and technological.
True accountability.
Fun.
10

9. 10

10. Play/Fun
Game Elements, Online Platform
Professional Development:
Ideas, Needs, and Issues
11

11. When do we outgrow
our desire for
choice?engagement?agency?community?fun?

12. What is a game?

13. Jane McGonigal

14. Jane McGonigal
Goals
Rules
Feedback
Voluntary Participation

15. What is
Gamification?

16. The Application of Game-
like Mechanics to
Non-Game Situations

17. it’s dangerous
it can be done badly

18. it’s not a magic pill
But it IS a rabbit hole

19. epic academy
Game-Inspired Teacher
Professional Development

20. Voluntary

21. Self-Paced

22. Choice-Driven

23. Job-Embedded

24. online
mostly

25. Social

26. Fun?

27. “Fun is the emotional
response to learning.”
-Chris Crawford
3029

28. e
p
i
c
ngaging
layful
nnovative
onnected

29. How Does It Work?

30. Quest-Based Learning

32. Dr. Chris Haskell

33. $119 per year
175 concurrent users
Seriously, That’s Cheap!

34. Customizable
Avatar
Ranks Indicating
Your Overall
Progress
Bars That Fill to
Show Progress
toYour Goal
Feedback!

36. Instructional and
Technical Design

37. Everyone Starts Here
Choices!

38. Increasing
Investment
in An Idea
Badge/
Recognition
for
Completing A
Quest Chain
A Sample
Quest Chain

39. Big Ideas (Super
Quests)
Super-Badge

40. Players Rate QuestsXP Value
Short
Description
Quests Required to
Unlock This One

41. Option
to Drop

42. LMS Integration

43. LMS Integration
All evidences and reflections
are shared in the community
page in our LMS
Social elements such as discussion
boards grow community and
connectedness.

44. Badges and Achievements

45. But, What About CEUs?
100XP = 0.1 CEUs
1000XP = 1.0 CEUs
100XP = 1 hour’s worth of PD
50XP = 30 min.
25XP = 15 min.
“Cash them in at regular intervals (1000XP?)”

46. What SCS Says
This Person Has
Demonstrated

48. Embedded Alignment to Digital Learning
Competencies
XP for Each
Competency

49. Detailed Data On Participating
Teachers

50. Community Stats About one
year ago
89
Players
1,513Quests Completed
480Achievements Earned
117
Official SCS
Badges Earned
67,590
XP Earned
69.590
CEUs Acquired1ninja
Discovered

51. Community Stats To date…
257
Players
4,010Quests Completed
1,217Achievements Earned
356
Official SCS
Badges Earned
184,415
XP Earned
184.415
CEUs Acquired3Ninjas
Discovered

52. BOOM!

53. Lessons Learned

54. Badges? We Don’t Need No
Stinkin’ Badges!

55. Digital Badges?
Meh.

56. physical badges?
yes!!

57. No Participation Required

58. Fostering A Bit Of
Competition

59. Fostering Community

60. inside jokes!

61. A Feeling of Control

62. So? Tips For Doing This In
My District?

63. Start Small.

64. Leverage Your Experts
(Hint: Your Teachers!)

65. Involve Your Change Agents
At The Ground Floor.

67. Experiment
With Incentives
In Small Ways.

68. Embrace Failure and
Iteration.
#unicornbadge

69. Use The Tools You Have.

70. Get Inspired.

71. Play More.

72. EPIC Academy by http://epicacademy.info is licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. All quests designed by the teachers leaders of
Surry County Schools, NC.