using GAmification in TEaching at VET schools

The use of games in education is not a new phenomenon. There is a long tradition in teaching research in this field. The advancing digitalisation considerably simplifies the use of so-called gameelements in education. In addition to points, badges and rankings, the trend towards gamification offers many low-threshold and technically inexpensive ways of increasing motivation to learn.

Gamification – understood as a design strategy – can help to create motivational and participatory learning environments in which students can build professional competencies individually or collaboratively.

Besides many fragmentary approaches, the use of these concepts and approaches is not yet very widespread and there are still uncertainties on the part of the users (the teachers). This applies only to the relatively small group, who knows about the possibilities! A much larger part of the teaching staff has so far hardly come into contact with these approaches or is even aware of the whole spectrum of concrete possibilities. However, especially in the professional field there are many opportunities to use digital tools in general and game elements in particular.

In order to close these knowledge gaps, it makes sense to create an overview of materials, project outputs and concepts for the use of games that have been generated so far. It is to be aimed at that this collection does not only present a theoretical usability, but that these things are created and used from practice / by practitioners, i.e. teachers.

Only in this way, i.e. the authentic exemplary use by peers, is it guaranteed that other teachers will get involved and in the best case not only use the existing approaches, tools and concepts, but also develop them further and feed them into the platform. 

A systematic compilation of content, approaches and ideas on an international scale therefore creates a high added value for the later users: They have more choice and can be inspired by approaches that correspond better to their own approach and improve it.

The project aims to:

1. Create a qualification and communication platform with best practice cases to simplify to use of game elements in the classroom of VET.
2. Design curriculum guidelines for teachers to use game elements and game mechanics in VET teaching.