Levelling up learning in higher education: Gamification of in-video components to supercharge student learning and achievement in video-based learning

Abstract

Abstract: Despite the rapid growth of video-based learning in higher education, students face challenges in sustaining their full attention on video lectures. While gamification has been used to engage students, there have been few attempts to gamify in-video learning. The study aimed to create a gamified instructional video and examine the effects on learning. We identified gamification principles that can be incorporated to gamify in-video components. An experiment conducted for validation purposes involved 48 undergraduate and graduate students. The results revealed that the participants who learned from the gamified instruction video (ie, experimental group, n = 23) had higher levels of necessary cognitive load required for accomplishing the given tasks than the participants who learned from a conventional video (ie, control group, n = 25). Although there was no significant difference in situational interest, the experimental group also exhibited better achievement, higher levels of intrinsic motivation, and learning satisfaction than the control group. Interview results revealed that the experimental group had a positive learning experience and clarified how the gamification strategies contributed to the outcomes. We discuss the implications of this study for research and practice. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Video-based learning (VBL) is recognized for its ability to accommodate students with diverse educational needs, and higher education has paid attention to its accessibility. During VBL, students face challenges in sustaining their full attention on video lectures unless they are highly motivated to learn. Moreover, students lack access to receive real-time guidance and feedback. What this paper adds We created a gamified VBL environment by embedding game elements into an instructional video. The experimental results indicated that the gamified video did not significantly increase learners' situational interest but enhanced necessary cognitive load, intrinsic motivation, learning satisfaction, and academic achievement. Interview findings supported these results, revealing that the gamified video effectively reduced unnecessary cognitive load while increasing cognitive efforts toward achieving learning objectives, thereby fostering engaging learning experiences. Implications for practice and/or policy Our attempts to create gamified instructional videos demonstrated how to enhance video lectures through gamification strategies and offered guidance for the design of gamified instructional videos. We also contributed to the exploration of gamification strategies in education and the potential of relatively underexplored gamification elements.