By the year 2050 higher education will be transformed by three trends: automation, curation, and gamification.
(...) gamification, the act of turning something
that is traditionally not a game into one. It’s like getting a gold
star for a good job, but better. A contemporary example of this is the
web app, HabitRPG. It takes after other Role Playing Games
by giving characters magical abilities, experience points and health.
The users can gain powers and experience by completing self assigned
tasks. If the tasks are not completed by the due date, the user looses
health. This system could be implemented for homework assignments. But
the in-class application is far more exciting. Imagine automated
tracking of class participation, class grades, and work speed. This
carrot-and-stick system would motivate students to earn points by
actively engaging in the classroom, and finish their quizzes as quick as
possible with highest accuracy. Performance is public via game points
or badges. A student who can actively brag that he outscored his
classmates in attention, or is the fastest quizzer in the school will
feel the euphoria of a job well done, and the other students will feel
the stick of motivation to out score their competitor.
I don't agree with the definition of gamification (turning something that is traditionally not a game into one) but this article shows the importance of gamification for the education sector.
