paper proposal

The evolution of online learning over the years has opened the door to many thoughts about the most effective way to present content to students so that you are able to keep them engaged in the subject while still making sure the students are learning at the same time. One particular method of delivering content that is trending in the elearning world is through the use of “gamified” courses. Gamification is a term that means to add game like characteristics to non-game experiences, like for instance an online algebra course (Janssen, n.d.). According to a report done by the NPD group, 82% of American kids ages 2-17 play video games (as cited in Riley, 2009). This data obviously doesn’t tell us that all students will automatically enjoy this method of learning content in the online education environment but it is a strong indication of the interests of students in that particular age group. Games are built to keep the person playing them engaged and motivated to beat the game. This is done by continually showing their progress, rewarding them when they’ve successfully completed a task, presenting new and unfamiliar scenarios, and challenging them more and more as they progress. It is easy to see characteristics in games that easily translate to an online learning environment. This paper will explore the characteristics of video games and how those characteristics can be applied to an online course to help engage and motivate students. I