Gamification in Learning Workshop for CSCL Community Engagement 17-20 October 2017

A four-day workshop was held at the Learning Sciences Studio, the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development UNIMAS, with 18 Masters in Learning Sciences students who are currently enrolled in a course on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL).  The workshop is aimed to provide an opportunity to construct learning materials for teachers/educators who have never used Gamification in Learning.  The Design Thinking approach is used to think through the process of training, and to determine how Gamification elements can be integrated into the training process.

The training materials are designed to facilitate in the teaching of STEM subjects, namely Science, Mathematics and English for Primary Schools in Malaysia.  For the purpose of the projects, two remote schools have been pre-selected for the training.  The schools share similar demographic characteristics – they are fishing villages, predominantly Malay, and of a low socio-economic income group.

The Masters students involved in the workshop this week will be conducting four training sessions at the two schools.  The first session, they will be introducing Gamification in Learning for the teaching of STEM subjects to teachers.  The subsequent sessions will be conducted with the students who are currently studying at the schools.  The children will experience the learning of Science, English and Mathematics that uses gamification as the tool for learning.  The students will also be taught about Collaborative Learning, and at the final session, they will have an online session with the children from the other location, and play games with each other in the session.  The final session will encapsulate the potential of collaborative learning among children who are remotely connected with each other, exemplifying the use of technology to enhance learning motivation.