Relating gaming habits with student performance in a gamified learning experience

Abstract

Gamified education is a novel concept, and early trials show its potential to engage students and improve their performance. However, little is known about how different students learn with gamification, and how their gaming habits influence their experience. In this paper we present a study where data regarding student performance and gaming preferences, from a gamified engineering course, was collected and analyzed. We performed cluster analysis to understand what different kinds of students could be observed in our gamified experience, and how their behavior could be correlated to their gaming characteristics. We identified four main student types: the Achievers, the Regular students, the Halfhearted students, and the Underachievers, all representing different strategies towards the course and with different gaming preferences. Here we will thoroughly describe each student type and address how different gaming preferences might have impacted the students' learning experience.