Playing with “Fun Failure”
in higher education
-Experiences from Non-Virtual Lessons.
Lecturer, Ph.D. student Camilla Gyldendahl Jensen
&
Programme Manager, Ph.D. Susanne Dau,
Research Programme of Professional Development & Educational Research, R&D.
University College of Northern Denmark
Educational Games are pronounced "serious games" with the
characteristic of having a specific structure with defining traits
(Morris, Croker, Zimmerman, Gill, Romig, 2013; McGonigal, 2012).
Goals that vary through different levels.
Rules define the limits and available opportunities in achieving the goal
Instant feedback provides students with valuable information about
the progression
The students will experience "flow" in their process when the difficulty
increase proportionally for each new level.
Voluntary acceptance of the game rules and content are known to
enhance motivation for the learning situation.
There is a lack of knowledge addressing how
academic activities can be enhanced through
the use of gamification, here especially the
transformation of persuasive game element
into a learning environment based on physical
game objects (Haimari, Koivisto & Sarsa, 2014; Melero,
Hernández-Leo, 2014).
Research question
How can gamification afford reflective
practice among undergraduates through the
use of a “Fun failure” strategy in a nonvirtual learning context?
RESEARCH DESIGN
Experimental participatory design
Case study relies on two classes in
architectural and construction management
education in their fifth semester.
The data collection was carried out in 2016. It
consisted of two eight hours workshops in
each class monitored by three cameras.
The empirical data were retrieved from
48-hour video observations and the students
written portfolio.
Subsequent a qualitative content analysis has
been carried out. (Yin, 2013)
FINDINGS
The findings are based on qualitative content analysis and interpretation of the
collected data. Based on coding the retrieved analysis categories of
interpretation were;
Sequential
constructive
learning
And
Literacy
The use of gamification
strengthens the depth of the
students' writing through a
reflective and collaborative
approach to the task. Moreover,
a step by step approach
facilitates the writing process in
a continuous flow.
0
Headlines
1
Word
2
Sentence
3
Paragraphs
4
Full text
META COGNITION
Metacognition is found to
involve students behavior
within in strategic planning of
the task in their effort to
achieve the goal.
Metacognition is also a part
of literacy competence
develop through the process.
Person 3:
But there are no limits
Person 2:
Some of us should take all
the inside of the building
and then there is someone
who can take anything
around the outdoor areas
and then there's somebody
taking…
Person 1:
What if someone are taking
materials?
Person 2:
Well it is not, don´t you
think it is almost too
narrow
REFLECTION
In the beginning, reflection seems to be superficial, but at the end reflection is
visible in their creation of the written portfolio.
Videoclip reveals embodied reflective interaction. The physical artifact acts as
a trigger of abstraction, obstruction, and lateral thinking. Moreover, reflection
is present in embodied actions.
FUN FAILURE
Fun failure is expressed in both verbal and nonverbal attitudes.
A “Fiero” behavior is expressed as an emotional benefit of hard work as a result of
the “game over” strategy.
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement seems to be the driver of the goal oriented persistence.
Moreover, engagement progress from a collaborative level to a more individual selfdirected stage.
By thinking in a simple and direct application of gaming
principles, it is possible to design a learning situation that can
facilitate academic literacy through a reflective and
collaborative approach.
This study offers a methodology for how to work with gamebased learning without having to apply existing computer
games that do not meet the substantive requirements of the
instruction and the learning situation.
Potentials are revealed by the assessment of group work,
where student’s individual contributions are comparable to
peers in a situation where gamification is applied.
Finally, this study will illustrate how to work with game-based
learning aspects without using technology and traditional
learning managements system (LMS), by applying gaming
principles to a physical context.
This approach contributes to existing research within the field
of gamification as it offers a model of game designs element
in non-game contexts.