Gamification or “Jobification” – Applying Game Design Approaches as a Bridge to Workforce Skills

 by Celeste Carmichael--

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/eafSfRKHwmy-k4tIlmsgrjbgCQ32BxfCeHzU3JJhbeEGkUrncYadffBEI62IZHDhFtsF1dtmLuf_xCYmfGwLKAVfOu849TGyzKiJrwYvfZ3GMkGjNYd-qSamA-wDAEt_wRVMON6TFS7Em6bhRNIgBKkGamification is a known program design approach used to provide motivation for students and participants to complete tasks - offering visual, virtual, and sometimes tangible rewards and validation of learning. In recent years, and particularly with the broader adoption of e-learning and hybrid work in higher education, experimentation and documentation of gamification as a part of classroom pedagogy has grown.  Beyond content transfer, can this same strategy be used to connect relevant past experiences for students to current classroom learning? Some faculty from the Virginia Community College System involved in the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership (AWT4CL) are applying these approaches to help students to bridge informal and formal learning experiences, connecting the dots on experiences that can translate to valuable workforce attributes. The AWT4CL cohort members have noted that digital badges used in this way can help students recognize the value of life experiences. One faculty cohort member noted gamification used in this way is more like “jobification” where badges based on reflective practice can help students to look for real-life experiences that exemplify what they are learning in the classroom building confidence and competence and developing workforce skills.

 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EBtRZadjyZ-p5JVZpS9RU1U3esDXMxRqDnvldtHb_NI1mujRamahS54VdKLUjaXxcOetr4hK9p9xw4RIQrx7_EIavMd9sbR-NSs74Dtb9E82h-opFhYEyINp_ftBstn9Y5clxlqKj8LgYGOVf2pT3kAThe implementation of digital badges for VCCS courses is being piloted in a limited number of agriculture courses, using common themes of agriculture workforce employability skills as documented by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. These workforce badges were prepared by the AWT4CL team. To achieve a badge, students are asked, among other activities, to reflect on and apply past experiences to the theme of the badge. For example, students in an agriculture leadership course may be asked to think about a time when they encountered a challenging conversation. The student may reflect on a work experience that they had where they had to engage with a critical customer, or supervisor, and think about a conflict management practice that they learned about in class. A student who goes through the effort of weaving experience with classroom learning may earn a badge and faculty recognition for connecting the dots. While the cognitive connections made between students and course work is the real prize, students also earn a badge and potentially an incentive or recognition from the faculty member. 

 

Virginia Tech is creating a library of badges to make connections between learning, technology, and life experiences. More information is available from the Virginia Tech badging page. To learn more about the use of digital badges in the agriculture and life science classroom, follow the news from Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership.



Acknowledgment 

Photo showing group engagement from Monkey Business Images.

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