Boredom isn’t not having anything to do. For a wealth of eLearners, boredom is brought about by an overload of information at their fingertips, which causes them to shut down and lose access to their own intrinsic motivation.

The process of eLearning and learning, in general, can be daunting for students. They may have the internal desire to acquire knowledge, but they may not have the tools or the energies necessary to approach eLearning courses that are overly boring. The archaic structuring of courses can zap their desires to learn before they even start.

Enter gamification.

This current generation of learners is constantly engaging with online games, mobile games, and other gamified elements in the media. 

Adding gamification elements to eLearning coursework and course structures is a great way of taking the boredom out of learning for distracted students, mimicking the best aspects of their video game and mobile game experiences to refract the process of learning in an entirely different light.

Gamification Changes The Window Dressing But Not The View

Using gamification doesn’t mean that you’ll be turning your course content into one giant game. Think of gamification as a design element. You can add game elements to different study structures and learning mechanisms to engage students and get them to access their own intrinsic set of motivations.

You can use elements of games, such as scoreboards and online badges, while still approaching teaching in a way that puts the content matter first. It may even be just a minor design add-on in the grand scheme of the course. 

However, it will be a huge boost for learners and their internal motivations. Already accustomed to the idea of online leaderboards and award systems, learners will feel boosted by seeing their progress and efforts in tangible form. 

Already linked to an online culture of leaderboards and real-time statistics tracking for both their gaming and non-gaming efforts, students are craving this kind of assessment. Bring aspects of it to your course structuring and watch their boredom turn to curiosity.

Get Students Competing Among Themselves In The Best Way Possible

One of the draws to leaderboards and ranking systems for students is the chance to compete with others. Competition is a huge boredom killer, whether it’s in traditional sports or online gaming. 

When one student sees themselves dropping on a leaderboard, it pushes them to meet the challenge presented to them by their fellow students. They’ll work more diligently in order to move back up the leaderboard in response to the efforts of others.

You can even build a sense of community this way. Students will motivate each other and use ranking systems and leaderboards to build conversations about the subject matter with one another.

Doing this will help students access their own intrinsic motivation structures. 

Concluding Thoughts

Gone will be the boredom associated with being bombarded with so much information and so little desire to assimilate it. Just a few gamification features and strategies go a long way in getting them out of their boredom and into the idea of learning.