Gamification of e-learning in higher education: a systematic literature review

Rethinking gamification for Chinese nursing students: A reflexive thematic analysis study

AIM

This study aims to understand the factors contributing to the low engagement rate of Chinese students with Confucian heritage culture in online learning games to improve their learning experience and outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Incorporating gamification into higher education has proven to be an effective teaching and learning strategy for enhancing students' academic performance, boosting motivation and improving their retention of critical concepts. However, despite these benefits, Chinese nursing students have demonstrated low engagement with online learning games.

DESIGN

This study employed reflexive thematic analysis, an appropriate method for exploring the online learning game experiences and uncovering the root causes of low engagement rates among Chinese nursing students.

METHODS

The narrative data were collected through focus group interviews. Participants were invited by the snowballing strategy. The narrative data were coded, categorised, themed and vigorously interpreted. The researcher's comments have been incorporated into the discussion to facilitate the co-construction of knowledge.

FINDINGS

The study identified two themes contributing to the low engagement rate of Chinese nursing students in online learning games: learning approaches and knowledge acquisition. The findings underscore the need for cultural sensitivity when implementing gamification in lectures for Chinese students with a Confucian heritage culture.

CONCLUSIONS

This study's findings offer promising insights for nursing educators and academic managers considering integrating gamification into nursing programs, particularly for students with a Confucian heritage culture. Since Chinese students have different learning approaches and knowledge acquisition strategies, online learning games may not be the best teaching and learning strategy design.

Educational games in nursing education: A bibliometric and content analysis

AIM

To conduct a bibliometric and content analysis of publications on educational games in the field of nursing education.

BACKGROUND

Educational games are an innovative active teaching method. Its use in nursing education has advantages; it has the potential to support students' active participation in the educational process.

DESIGN

Bibliometric and content analysis.

METHODS

The data for this study were screened from the Web of Science database. Bibliometric analysis and data visualization were performed using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software, employing techniques such as scientific mapping and performance analysis. For content analysis, a synthetic knowledge synthesis approach based on bibliometric mapping was adopted.

RESULTS

A total of 223 publications involving 819 authors were analyzed. These publications appeared in 87 different journals, with an average of 1.67 citations per publication. The journals "Nurse Education Today" and "Clinical Simulation in Nursing" featured the highest number of articles. The USA and Spain were leading countries in terms of total link strength, connections and the number of articles and citations. The most frequently cited author was Gómez-Urquiza (n = 308). Commonly used keywords included "nursing education," "gamification," "serious games," and "nursing students." The content analysis revealed five primary themes: 1) technology in nursing education, 2) effects of educational games, 3) applications of educational games in nursing education, 4) types of educational games used in nursing education and 5) gamification in the learning-teaching process.

CONCLUSIONS

Research on educational games in nursing education is on the rise. The findings of this study provide new insights for researchers interested in the application of educational games in nursing education.

Designing, implementing and evaluating childbirth training protocol for undergraduate midwifery students with a computer and mobile application based on gamification method: study protocol

BACKGROUND

Clinical education plays a very important role in creating the necessary abilities and skills in the students of medical sciences. Any problem in clinical education complicates the patient safety and quality of health care delivery. In this regard, "continuous evaluation", "educational innovation", and "participatory learning" will contribute to more efficiency, and all the mentioned items can be implemented in gamification. The present study is to design, implement, and evaluate a childbirth protocol training application based on gamification in midwifery students.

METHODS

This educational scholarship study will focus on all midwifery students entering Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2020 and 2021 during the second semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. The educational intervention will cover six childbirth protocol topics presented through gamification to two groups of midwifery students. Students will complete a demographic and Sibria Sherring's emotional intelligence questionnaire before the intervention, the childbirth protocol knowledge questionnaire and performance checklist at the mother's bedside before and four weeks after the intervention, and the training method satisfaction questionnaire four months' post-intervention. Data will be analyzed using SPSS 28 software with a significance level of less than 5%.

RESULTS

This study will involve preparing, teaching, and evaluating six childbirth protocol topics through a game. It is assumed that the findings indicate that the educational method of gamification is better than the lecture method and by increasing the learning rate, the teaching process will be improved and the students will be fully satisfied with the teaching method.

DISCUSSION

The effectiveness of the gamification method has been reported in various studies in the education of nurses, cardiopulmonary neurology for students, and health professions for medical students. Therefore, this approach can be effective in the delivery of protocol education for midwifery students. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Smart University of Medical Sciences (IR.SMUMS.REC.1402.029) and the study protocol was registered in the Iran Clinical Trial Registry (IRCT20180218038783N7).

Research hotspots and trends in digitalization in higher education: A bibliometric analysis

This bibliometric analysis reviews 8521 articles related to the digitalization of higher education, spanning from 1968 and 2023, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), PubMed, and Scopus databases. Employing this analytical framework, we identify key authors, leading institutions, and influential countries while highlighting high-impact literature and intricate collaborative networks within this field. Through an examination of high-frequency keywords and topics, this study maps the knowledge structure of the field, suggesting emerging hotspots and setting the trajectories for future research directions. Notably, the study by Crawford et al., in 2020 has received the highest number of citations, marking a significant impact. Furthermore, Spain has been particularly active, emerging as a leader in the volume of contributions to digital research in higher education. Keywords such as "co-creation", "competency", "hybrid teaching", and "digital writing" are identified to drive future research trends, reflecting a growing interest in these areas. Meanwhile, themes like "e-learning" and "blended learning" are expected to remain central in upcoming research work.

Enhancing ESG learning outcomes through gamification: An experimental study

This study investigates the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing learning outcomes in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) education. Employing a cluster randomized experiment, the research involved 22 classes from four universities, divided into gamified and traditional teaching groups. The gamified group engaged with ESG concepts through interactive, game-like elements, while the control group followed standard educational practices. The study aimed to determine whether gamification could improve ESG course effectiveness and enhance Psychological Ownership and Perceived Importance, thereby influencing learning outcomes. Data collected through post-experiment surveys were analyzed using multiple linear regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results indicated that students in the gamified group performed significantly better in ESG exams compared to the control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing academic achievement. The SEM analysis further revealed that gamification positively impacted Psychological Ownership and Perceived Importance, which in turn significantly improved academic performance. These findings suggest that incorporating gamification in ESG education can effectively engage students and deepen their understanding of complex sustainability issues. This study contributes to the field by highlighting the potential of gamification as a transformative tool in higher education, particularly in teaching abstract and multifaceted subjects like ESG.

The Evolution of Active Learning in Response to the Pandemic: The Role of Technology

Active learning has consistently played a significant role in education. Through interactive tasks, group projects, and a variety of engaging activities, students are encouraged to forge connections with the subject matter. However, the pandemic has necessitated that educators adapt and refine their active learning techniques to accommodate the online environment. This has resulted in stimulating innovations in the field, encompassing virtual simulations, online collaboration tools, and interactive multimedia. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly transformed the landscape of teaching and learning, particularly in higher education. One of the most prominent shifts has been the widespread adoption of active learning techniques, which have increased student engagement and fostered deeper learning experiences. In this chapter, we examine the evolution of active learning during the pandemic, emphasizing its advantages and challenges. Furthermore, we delve into the role of advances in artificial intelligence and their potential to enhance the effectiveness of active learning approaches. As we once focused on leveraging the opportunities of remote teaching, we must now shift our attention to harnessing the power of AI responsibly and ethically to benefit our students. Drawing from our expertise in educational innovation, we provide insights and recommendations for educators aiming to maximize the benefits of active learning in the post-pandemic era.

Learning Landscape in Gamification: The Need for a Methodological Protocol in Research Applications

In education, the term "gamification" refers to of the use of game-design elements and gaming experiences in the learning processes to enhance learners' motivation and engagement. Despite researchers' efforts to evaluate the impact of gamification in educational settings, several methodological drawbacks are still present. Indeed, the number of studies with high methodological rigor is reduced and, consequently, so are the reliability of results. In this work, we identified the key concepts explaining the methodological issues in the use of gamification in learning and education, and we exploited the controverses identified in the extant literature. Our final goal was to set up a checklist protocol that will facilitate the design of more rigorous studies in the gamified-learning framework. The checklist suggests potential moderators explaining the link between gamification, learning, and education identified by recent reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses: study design, theory foundations, personalization, motivation and engagement, game elements, game design, and learning outcomes.