Posted by Every learning manager wants to deploy impactful, engaging experiences for their learners. Gamification for workplace learning leverages a host of game elements to achieve this goal. Successful game mechanics have specific goals, clear and logical rules, and instant feedback for the learners. Research has found that Humans can recognize patterns and optimize their behavior to meet a dynamic success criterion (Caine and Caine, 1991). Game-based learning should harness this to achieve training goals.
The simplest and most commonly used are structural gamification elements such as points, levels, badges, and leaderboards. And content gamification, for example, by adding story elements to a course or using scenario-based challenges as learning objectives.
Gamification offers a potent solution to keep employees engaged and motivated with your training programs.
There are four key elements of game-based learning for workplace training:
Self-directed learning
Self-direction is key to the gamification of eLearning. In a gamified learning environment, the learners are required to take initiative to solve problems, acknowledge weaknesses and work towards advancing their skills. Self-directed learning does not denote a lack of structure, it simply allows learners to take their learning path. Access to content remotely and at the convenience of the learner is also intrinsic to self-direction.
This element of game-based learning facilitates distinct, role-based learning goals. Personalization of the learning experience can improve engagement with training.
Real-time performance feedback
By providing a clear picture of performance and competency, instant feedback creates a healthy feedback loop in the learning process. Immediate feedback can be applied to interactions within the learning environment, the completion of tasks and processes, course assessments, quality of work, and competence. Research has shown that an instant feedback system has a positive impact on learning motivation.
Drive key behaviors
Organizations leveraging gamification can utilize the engagement and interaction elements to drive behavior change. Prescribed operations or behavior can be integrated with learning objectives to effectively achieve results. Analyzing user behavior in simulated environments can help organizations prepare the workforce for better performance. The objectivity of gamified feedback also makes it easy for learning managers to identify problem points for users. Modules of learning can be gamified to instill knowledge such as best practices to follow, benefits to reap, and mistakes to avoid.
Measuring success
Metrics and measurements matter in gamified learning. It is an important factor that helps to provide learners with the best opportunity to succeed. This means organizations must effectively analyze and quantify the success of learners in the gamified environment. Clear metrics provide the opportunity for learning managers to optimize course content.
The most important metrics to measure the success of a gamified training program as follows:
- Adoption: Are your users engaging with the training content? Monitor engagement across demographics and learner profiles.
- Usage: What is the frequency of use amongst learners with access to training? What are the popular and unpopular learning modules? If there is a social sharing element, which modules are shared most and least?
- Competency: The most important metric to measure is competency post-training intervention. Are users achieving the desired outcomes?
How can Gamification Boost Business Results?
Here are some of the benefits of implementing gamification that can drive organizational success:
Enhances Employee Onboarding
Effective onboarding plays a vital role in ensuring employees deliver the best results. Onboarding training can be gamified to improve knowledge retention and boost performance.
Gamification is versatile and can be used across industries to deliver customer training, product training, sales training, scenario-based training, and so on.
Nuggets of learning can be gamified to provide the workforce with fun and exciting ways to upskill themselves. Microlearning can be leveraged to deliver content in bite-sized chunks that can be revisited as per the needs of the learners.
Increases Engagement
Gamification is very effective at increasing the engagement and motivation of employees. Gamification elements can inspire employees to complete challenges and achieve skill competency. This is because the system of rewards and achievements in games harnesses the brain’s natural proclivity to stay motivated.
Healthy Work Environment
Gamification ensures every employee has an equal opportunity to exhibit their skills. Cooperation and healthy competition amongst teams and individuals are also positively impacted by gamification.
A culture of continuous improvement and learning, promoted through gamification, can create a healthy workforce.
Improves Job Satisfaction
Employees who feel they have the resources to perform their jobs to their best ability are generally happier at work. The rewards and recognition offered through gamification provide an opportunity for employees to share their experiences over social media. Happy employees become the voice of their organization and instill goodwill. Ultimately, this helps the organizations attract and retain top talent.
A full-fangled gamification strategy for digital learning can revitalize your corporate training. The content development team at Origin Learning is richly experienced in creating novel solutions to training challenges. To learn more about how we can positively impact your corporate training effectiveness, reach out to us at info@originlearning.com for a demo.