Gamification behind the scenes: Designing a software engineering course

Abstract

Creating a blended and open learning environment that supports self-directed learning is a desirable achievement. However, the difficulty of moving away from a guided, grade-based, exam-cramming teaching style has been shown to be demotivating for students and it is still unclear, how to design the on-boarding process well. We show that the current design of a course, despite being perceived as difficult, leads to mostly positive attitudes towards most aspects of the course across virtually all students. The success is a consequence of applying an evidence-based framework that takes into account two dimensions as guides in the design process: incorporating gamification factors and creating room for learner types. The paper describes how the framework is used during design decisions. Comparing the analysis for individual forum use and peer-reviews on team blogs elucidates why the former is perceived less favorably than the latter and provides insight into potential improvements.