Analysis of Gamification Elements in the Virtual Learning Environment Context

Abstract

The advancement of digital technology has allowed the creation of virtual courses which have created new challenges for teachers in motivating students. Gamification is a methodology that can achieve some of these demands. Currently, one of the main problems is the lack of knowledge about the proper application of gamification elements and the high costs of implementation during virtual classes. There are several elements available in Moodle to implement and possibly not all are relevant to students. The objective is to define the main elements that motivate students, to explain the Open Source elements of gamification available in Moodle, and how to implement them. To achieve the goals a test class with 10 gamification elements was developed. An experiment was carried out with approximately 50 students from the Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo. As a requirement, students must have prior use of Moodle. The questionnaire helped to define the expected results regarding relevant elements, the motivation of the course, preference or not of the grading course and imperceptible elements.