Harnessing the Power of Gamification

Abstract

The chapter examines the effect of integrating gamification in the activity system of an undergraduate course. Activity theory is used as a framework in order to investigate the anchoring of gamification as a second-order mediation for improving student engagement in the course Wiki. The chapter examines the main gamification patterns that emerged, documents how gamification mitigated persistent problems of student participation in the Wiki, and analyzes how the activity system was reconfigured through the study of new tensions. The work is concluded with a discussion of how gamification can be integrated in an activity system so as to capitalize on its potential.