Meaningful Gamification in an Industrial/Organizational Psychology Course

Motivation and game research continue to demonstrate that the implementation of game design characteristics in the classroom can be engaging and intrinsically motivating. The present study assessed the extent to which an industrial organizational psychology course designed learning environment created with meaningful gamification elements can improve student perceptions of learning, course experience, and learning outcomes compared to a traditional course. A mixed analysis of covariance revealed that those in the gamified condition showed significantly higher perceptions of learning, engagement, and motivation than those in the traditional course. This research suggests that students can learn just as effectively as traditional courses but have more favorable and positive experiences in the course through more, novel, interactive teaching methods. Future research implications are discussed.