Designing game-like activities to engage adult learners in higher education

Both engagement and motivation are important factors in any learning process. Fortunately, there are different approaches worth considering during the design process of learning experiences that could help educators create engagement. One that has shown great potential is the inclusion of game design principles, or game-like experiences, in a curriculum. This paper presents the design and analysis of an e-learning activity within a software engineering course that relies on the application of such an approach as its motivational foundation from a purely educational standpoint (i.e. not as entertainment). The goal was to encourage adult learners to solve non-graded formative activities and to increase their sense of kinship to the class group. After one semester, the results revealed a positive assessment of the experience designed and student engagement.