Gamification for Learning Sustainability in the Blackboard System: Motivators and Obstacles from Faculty Members’ Perspectives

Abstract

Gamification is one of the basic components that enhance the sustainability of learning management systems (LMSs) in improving learning outcomes and motivating learners to face challenges and continue effectively in implementing educational tasks. Some of the LMSs do not have an integrated structure for gamification, but there are some simple tools that can be relied upon in managing gamification processes, and among these is the Blackboard system. Blackboard is witnessing a high level of use in the educational process within King Abdulaziz University, as it has been the main e-learning system at the university since the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the present study was an attempt to identify the motivators and obstacles of employing gamification through the Blackboard system from the faculty members’ point of view. The study relied on the interpretive paradigm, where a phenomenological approach was used to find out the motivators that encourage 12 faculty members at King Abdulaziz University to use gamification via Blackboard, and to identify the obstacles that might dissuade them. The results of the study were as follows: the main motivators included attracting attention, engaging in learning, motivation, and entertainment, while the main obstacles included time, digital skills, technical issues, lack of resources, contentment, and indifference. The results of this study suggest that while there are motivators for faculty members to employ gamification in electronic courses, there are still the same number of obstacles facing staff members in employing gamification in digital learning environments.