Incrasing Studnts Engagmnt in Data Structur Cours Using Gamification Rm S. Al-Towirgi1, 2, Lamya F. Daghstani1, Lamiaa F. Ibrahim1, 3* Dpartmnt of Computr Scinc, Faculty of Computing and Information Tchnology, King Abdulaziz Univrsity Jddah, Saudi Arabia. 2 Dpartmnt of Computr Scinc, Faculty of Computing and Information Tchnology, Taif Univrsity, Taif, Saudi Arabia. 3 Computr Scinc Dpartmnt, Institut of Statistic Studis and Rsarch, Cairo Univrsity. 1 * Corrsponding author. Tl.: +966557279106; mail: lfibrahim@kau.du.sa Manuscript submittd January 10, 2018; accptd March 8, 2018. doi: 10.17706/ij.2018.8.4.193-211 Abstract: Gamification is th us of gam lmnts in non-gam contxt. It is usd in many industris and rcntly in ducation to incras studnts ngagmnt. In this papr a gamifid data structur cours was dvlopd to tach studnts th main topics of data structur. Th ffctivnss of gamification on larning prformanc and studnts ngagmnt will b vuatd. Rsults show that gamification has a positiv impact on larning prformanc and it incrass th studnt ngagmnt. Ky words: Data structur, -larning, ngagmnt, gamification, gamifid cours. 1. Introduction Gams bgin to prvad th r world and hav bn a larg part of human lif. Th powr of gams coms from its ability to ngag usrs and affct thir motions through its mchanics and dynamics. Gam mchanics ar lmnts lik points, tokns and badgs. Gam dynamics ar dsignd ruls that dscrib how to collct lmnts and rach achivmnts [1], [2].Gam mchanics and dynamics ar usd to triggr playr motion, this is cld asthtics of th gam [1]. Gamification has mrgd rcntly to incras usr ngagmnt by using ths asthtics in srious contxt [3]. In ducation, ngagmnt is considrd as a vuabl indicator of th acadmic achivmnt of th studnt. On of th most succssful mthods usd to raising studnts' ngagmnt ar gams which can crat ngaging larning for studnts [4]. Thr ar many typs of gams usd to improv knowldg in diffrnt filds but rathr than crating actu gam, gamification grafts lmnts that maks vido gam fun and ffctiv and applis thm to any larning nvironmnt. Gamification was usd in tradition larning. For xampl: dvloping a ladrboard containing th bst studnts, giving a ribbon or a badg for th xcllnt studnt. In our work w will incras th ffctivnss of -larning using gamification and crat a gamifid data structur cours to incras studnts' ngagmnt. This papr is organizd as follow: Sction two prsnts a background about -larning and gamification. Sction thr lists th rlatd works on using gamification in ducation. Sction four prsnts th systm dsign. Sction fiv xplains th systm implmntation. Sction six dscribs th xprimnt study. Sction svn discuss th rsults. Sction ight prsnt a conclusion and futur work. 193
2. Background Among th yars, larning procss has improvd from tradition systm in th classrooms to lctronic ons using information tchnology [5]. Th us of information tchnology to dlivr information for ducation and training lads to E-larning [6]. 2.1. E-Larning E-larning is dfind as information and communication tchnologis usd to support studnts to improv thir larning [7]. Normarkin [8] dfins -larning as th ability of th systm to lctronicly transfr, manag, support and suprvis larning and larning matris. E-larning has many advantags [9]: it nabls larning anywhr and anytim, it controls larnr with mor flxibility and it dlivrs courss with low cost. 2.2. Larning Managmnt Systm To facilitat th intraction btwn studnts and tachrs in -larning, Larning Managmnt Systms (LMSs) wr cratd. LMS is dfind as a systm that automats th diffrnt procsss of ducation cours such as: administration, tracking and scoring [10]. It has faturs lik contnt dvlopmnt, contnt accss and usrs assssmnt. Nowadays, most of th ducation institutions us LMS to incras th ffctivnss of thir larning procss [11]. Th purpos of LMS is to assist tachrs and studnts to communicat with ach othr, discuss cours topics and xchang thir idas through th faturs implmntd in ths systms [12]. In th old LMS only simpl faturs wr found such as: fil storag and sharing. Mor advancd faturs wr introducd ovrtim such as: cours managmnt, matris adapting and rusing, assssmnt and survys, cndars, assignmnts and forums [13]. Currntly, Th most popular LMSs ar Moodl and Blackboard [14]. Moodl is a fr onlin LMS providing an opn sourc solution for -larning which is scur and customizabl with a larg slction of availabl activitis [15]. Blackboard is a softwar applications and srvics for larning that low instructor in larning procss by its providd functionity [16]. Authors in [13], [17], [18] and [19] compars Moodl and Blackboard in trms of communication tools, productivity tools, and studnts' involvmnt tools. As a rsult of thir comparisons, Moodl is chosn as an optim LMS basd on architctur and tchnic aspcts. Also, Moodl is an opn sourc platform, chapr and mor flxibl than Blackboard [20]. 2.3. Gams Vido gams hav bn incrasing thir position in ntrtainmnt ovr tim. Ths gams ar considrd as activitis with intraction fatur that rsrv th playrs chlngs to involv thm into an activ procss [21]. Gams ar dfind as: "a systm in which playrs ngag in artifici conflict, dfind by ruls that rsult in a quantifiabl outcom" [22]. 2.4. Gam Basd Larning Gams hav attractd th ducators' attntion to us it in th schools to support larning for a long tim. This hav ld to a trnd cld Gam-Basd Laning (GBL). Spcific ducation gams usd to apply GBL is cld srious gams. Srious gam ar fully gams with larning go rathr than just fun [23]. For xampl, In [24] authors hav usd intractiv visuization and computr gam to provid a wb-basd collaborativ larning nvironmnt for taching databas anysis and dsign. Th gam units introducs th cours topics to b xplord. Ths units ar hirarchicly structurd to low studnts to div for mor dtails. Topics ar 194
hyprlinkd for random browsing. Authors in [25] hav dscribd a computr gam for taching Softwar Enginring cours. Th softwar dvlopmnt cycl has bn animatd and th rsponsibl prson for ach phas should tak th bst dcision to complt th projct. Tam mmbrs that do th bst projct will tak th highr marks. Producing srious gams with high quity rquirs larg budgts [26]. Srious gams nds a high quantity of rsourcs, gam knowldg and graphic dsign [27]. Also, it is costly in trms of mony, tim and ffort [28]. So, an trnativ way to GBL is to find th lmnts that mak gams fun and njoyabl thn us thm in larning procss. So, th studnt will larn not by playing gams but with th fling of playing gams [29]. Authors in [30] and [31] rsarch about what maks computr gams attractiv to th playrs and how to us ths aspcts to improv studnt ngagmnt in ducation. 2.5. Gamification Th motivation powr of gams is bing pntratd in various non-gam systms to kp usrs ngagd with th systms and motivatd to do a spcific bhavior. This is don through a gamification tchniqu. Th trm "gamification" was mrgd in Octobr 2010 [29]. Gamification is dfind as: th us of gam lmnts for non-gam systms [32]. Any systm can b gamifid by incorporating gam lmnts into its activitis to mak it mor ngagd and motivating [33]. Wrbach and Huntr [34] providd gam lmnt list and organizd thm into thr lvls of abstraction which ar: dynamics, mchanics and componnts. Th dynamics rprsnt th big pictur aspcts such as: constraints, motions, narrativ, progrssion and rlationship. Mchanics ar procsss that driv action forward such as: chlngs, chanc, comptition, coopration, fdback and rward. Componnts ar th spcific instantiations of mchanics and dynamics such as: points, lvls, badgs, avatar, achivmnt, contnt unlocking and ladrboards. Th main go of gamification is rising usrs ngagmnt with thss systms without undrmining its crdibility[35]. Th targt usrs of th gamifid systm ar cld playrs [29]. Gamification combind intrinsic motivations with xtrinsic on to ris ngagmnt [36]. Intrinsic motivations com whn th usr dcids whthr to mak an action or not such as: comptition, truism, coopration, sns of blonging, lov and aggrssion. Extrinsic motivations happnd whn somthing lads th usr to do an action such as: points, lvls, badgs, classifications, awards and missions. Gamification is usd in many contxt such as commrc, hth, markting, businss, scinc, soci ntworks, tourism and training [3]. Rcntly, gamification usd in th ducation succssfully to ngag studnts in larning. Wbsit lik Khan Acadmy [37] and ClassDojo [38] ar a clar xampls of gamification usd in -larning. 2.6. Gamification in -Larning Engagmnt is idntifid as a vuabl indicator of studnts' acadmic achivmnt [39]. Whn studnts ngagd, thy will b attractd to thir work, continu thir acadmic activitis and chlng difficultis, and b plasur for doing l of that [40]. From a pdagogic point of viw, -larning has a limitation that it dos not transmit flings nor motivat studnts as a tachr do [27]. Bcaus this lack of motion, -larning systms must compnsat studnts and motivat thm in anothr way. Furthrmor, th LMSs hav a static fatur and lack of usability and intractivity [41]. So, w nd to a suitabl way for improving LMS through improving th studnt's ngagmnt and intraction with ths systms. This will b don by utilizing th nw tools and tchniqus availabl to us [42]. Gamification can usd hr to achiv th main objctivs of -larning which ar: high fficincy, ngagmnt, satisfaction and 195
motivation of larnrs [43]. Diffrnt mthods wr proposd to promot studnts' ngagmnt using gamification. Montrrat. in [44] proposd adding a fun layr to th larning systm to mak th larning procss mor ngagd and motivating. This fun layr is priphr so it could b pluggd on any application without affcting th origin systm. Thy proposd implmnting of th gam lmnts such as ladrboards and badgs in this layr to improv th studnt intraction with th LMS. JB Fogg prsnts prsuasiv tchnology concpt and how to us computrs to chang th usr bhavior [45]. H proposd Fogg's Bhavior Modl (FBM) which studis th factors that can lad to a crtain bhavior. FBM includs thr main componnts whn occurring at th sam tim thy will lad to a crtain bhavior. Ths componnts ar: motivation, ability and triggrs. To triggr a dsird bhavior larnrs nd to b motivatd and abl to solv th chlngs at th sam tim. In [27] authors proposd using gamification to apply FBM to an -larning systm through offring points for corrct answr and uncovr th contnt progrssivly. So, using gamification in -larning will triggrs a mor ngaging bhavior. Raymr in [46] proposd that dtrmining objctivs, prsnting fdback and rwarding ar th basic lmnts of gamifid larning systm. Objctivs should b dividd to achivabl stps that can b accomplishd by using th studnts' skills and to kp thm within thir flow channl. Fdback is important to tll th studnts about thir progrss. Rwarding is usful to apprciat studnts ffort. Ptrovic and Ivtic [47] proposd providing managabl tasks for larnr to kp thm within th flow channl and providing fdback and progrss to rais thir ngagmnt. Also, thy proposd including of soci lmnts to promot comptition btwn larnrs. Nicholson [48] rcommndd focusing on including fun lmnts rathr than scoring lmnts. Also, h proposd offring studnts diffrnt ways for achiving th wantd go and giv thm th frdom for choosing thir prfrrd way. 3. Rlatd Work This Sction shows som rlatd work that using gamification in -larning, spcily in highr ducation. A brif summry for ach work is prsntd blow. Barata t. [49] vuatd how gamification affcts Mastr studnts by comparing a gamifid cours with a prvious non-gamifid vrsion. Rsults showd an incrasing in matris downloads, high participation and post to forums and a positiv impact on attndanc. No significant chang in th grad avrag. Studnt fdback gathrd through qustionnair conductd at th nd of th cours. Thy considrd that th gamifid cours prformd vry wll and it bcom mor motivating and intrsting. A comparison btwn a gam-basd larning and a gamification tchniqu was don by Jayasingh and Dharmaratn [50] to dtrmin which lt studnts undrstand thoris without any unncssary dcoration. Rsults showd that th studnts who hav studid using th gamifid componnts hav obtaind highr marks, mor undrstanding of th thoris and cod than studnts who hav studid using gaming componnt. Rsults of qustionnair showd that th gamifid componnts ar prfrrd by th studnts and it nabl thm to undrstand th thoris rathr than wasting thir tim to njoy it with a full graphics gam. To incras studnt ngagmnt, Brkling and Thomas [51] prsntd a stup for a gamifid classroom through indpndnt larning with many diffrnt choics, flxibl spd and timing. Cours topics ar structurd into aras and lvls. Fdback rgarding th gamification aspcts was don through a survy. Rsults showd that studnts did not gt th bnfit of gamification in a positiv way. A gamifid ducativ xprinc hav dsignd by Domínguz t. [52] for an -larning platform to incras studnts' motivation. Gamification tchniqus wr applid to th platform to support many aras 196
such as cognitiv ara, motion ara and soci ara. Rsults showd that gamification hav a grat motion and soci impact on studnts by motivating thm using rwards and ladrboard. Unfortunatly, cognitiv impact of gamification is not vry significant ovr studnts according to ovrl scor. Todor and Pitică [53] showd an xampl of implmnting th gamification concpt in an -larning platform to motivat studnts in continuous larning and to promot crtain bhaviors to b larnd by thm. Fdback was collctd by obsrving studnts using th gamifid -larning platform. Thr was incrasing in th intrst for th cours. Th way th studnt showd thir positiv comptitivnss was noticd, so th comptition is a man of progrss for thm. An xprimnt was conductd by Akpolat and Slany in [54] whr studnts should larn and us programming tchniqus whil dvloping a softwar systm. Th rsults can b dividd into two typs: subjctiv and objctiv. Subjctiv rsults masurd th prcption of studnts through two onlin survys: A mid-trm vuation and a fin vuation. Subjctiv rsults showd that studnts ratd thir larning as vry good or good comparing with othr non-gamifid courss. Objctiv rsults masurd th ffct of gamification which rsultd in a frindly comptition btwn tams and high lvl of ngagmnt. Ibanz and Di-Srio [55] prsntd a cas study to vuat th us of gamification in larning. Th study purpos was to xplor th impact of gamification tchniqus on cognitiv ngagmnt of studnts. Pr-tst and post-tst qustionnair wr usd to masur th knowldg bfor and aftr th larning xprinc. Two othr qustionnairs wr usd to stimat rasons for gtting involvd in cours activitis and to idntify studnts' focus during th larning xprinc. Rsults showd that studnts improvd thir knowldg aftr larning with th gamifid platform and most studnts continud working vn aftr arning th maximum points which indicats to studnts' cognitiv ngagmnt and thir committing to larning. Auvinn t. [56] usd achivmnt badgs for rwarding studnt in th onlin larning nvironmnt. Thy so visuizd studnt's bhavior to giv th studnt a fdback to hlp thm bing awar of thir bhavior. Rsults showd that visuization of studnts' bhavior will incras th studnts' awarnss of thir bhavior and thn will incras thir larning rsults. Fdback qustionnair was so usd to collct studnts fdback about th gamifid cours. An xprimnt was did by D-Marcos t. [57] on undrgraduat first yar studnts to vuat th ffct of gamification on larning prformanc. Thy intgratd a gamification plugin in th LMS. A comparison btwn this xprimnt group and th control group which usd tradition -larning is conductd. Rsults showd that gamification has a positiv impact on larning prformanc. Th ffct of gam mchanics on cognitiv and bhavior ngagmnts of studnts was invstigatd by Hw t. [58] through conducting two xprimnt studis among two smstrs. In th two xprimnts, thy mployd xprimnt-control group dsign. Exprimnt group attnd th gamifid cours whil control group attndd th sam cours but without gam lmnts. Rsults showd a positiv ffct on studnt ngagmnt but no diffrnc on studnts knowldg. Th impact of gamification on larning prformanc and ngagmnt was anyzd by Ortiz-Rojas t. [59] through using badgs for rwarding studnts who carrid out mandatory tasks and option activitis. Programming tsts was usd to compar larning gain by studnts in control and xprimnt group. Engagmnt was dtrmind by counting th option activitis carrid out by th studnt. Rsults showd that gamification improvd studnts' ngagmnt but it has no impact on larning prformanc. Zamora t. [60] implmntd a gamification tchniqu in th larning procss to improv th larning xprinc and motivat mastr dgr studnts. Using gamification lmnts, rsarchrs intndd to motivat studnts to achiv thir rsponsibilitis in th cours such as attndanc, participations, prsntations, sminars and xams. Rsults showd that gamification has a positiv impact on larnr's 197
ngagmnt. Tabl 1 lists ths works with dtails of courss, typ of gamifid componnt, gamification mchanics usd, typ of th sarch mthodology, typ of collctd data and th ffct of th gamification. Tabl 1. Comparison of Rlatd Work in Gamification Pap r [49] Cours Multimdia Contnt Production Gamifid Componnt Mchanics usd E-larning platform Points, Lvls, Effct of gamification Outcom Study Rsults Usag data No diffrnc Bhavior Mixd Qustionnair Incrasd satisfaction Quiz mark High mark Bhavior Larning tim Lss quiz tim Bhavior Qustionnair High accptanc Qustionnair No ngagmnt Ngativ Marks High scors in practic assignmnt, Bhavior Mixd Mthodology Chlngs, Ladrboar d, Collctd data badgs [50] [51] Data Structur and Algorithms Softwar Enginring E-larning platform Wb application Ribbon Points, Lvls, Positiv Rwards, Progrss bar, Ladrboar d [52] Quification for usrs of ICT E-larning platform Ladrboar d, Badgs Low scors in writtn assignmnt [53] Elctronics E-larning platform Points, Quitativ Qustionnair High motivation Obsrvation Improvd comptnc, Positiv Positiv Avatar, Incrasd intrsting Progrss, Fdback, Ladrboar d, Rwards, Badgs [54] Softwar Enginring E-larning platform Wkly chlng cup, High scor list Survy High ratd larning Bhavior Usag of programmin g practics High intrsting, High ngagmnt, Frindly comptition 198
[55] C-Programmi ng E-larning platform Points, Ladrboar d, Pr-tst Incrasd comprhnsio n, Post-tst [57] [58] Data Structur and gorithm Quification for ICT usrs Dsigning Qustionnair Qustionnair High ngagmnt Exrcis points High xrcis points Bhavior Survy Incrasd ngagmnt Pr-tst No diffrnc Bhavior Chlngs, Assignmnt marks High marks Bhavior Ladrboar d Fin xam mark Low marks Bhavior Pr-tst No diffrnc Bhavior Post-tst No diffrnc Bhavior Qustionnair High motivation Programmin g Tst No impact on larning prformanc Bhavior No. of option activitis don High ngagmnt Obsrvation Incrasd ngagmnt Onlin larning nvironm nt Achivmn t, LMS Trophis, LMS Badgs, Visuizd fdback Badgs, Points, Badgs, Ladrboar d [59] [60] Computr Programming Economics LMS, Badg Wb basd application Mobil application Points, Positiv High points Badgs [56] Bhavior Quitativ Lvls, Positiv Mixd Mixd Mixd Positiv Ladrboar d 4. Systm Dsign This sction dscribs data structur DS cours and th componnts includd in th systm to gamifying th data structur cours. 4.1. Data Structur Cours Data Structur Cours is a mandatory bachlor cours in Computr Scinc dpartmnt. It covrs th standard data structurs such as binary tr, linkd list, stack, quu and rcursion. Many studnts considrd that it is difficult to undrstand and it lacks intrst and ability of innovation [61]. Many studnts claimd that larning data structur is a complx issu bcaus it has an abstract natur and nds high skills of problm solving [62]. Diffrnt mthods wr usd to tach data structur cours to mak it asy and undrstandabl. On of th common mthods is visuization [62] which translat data structur concpts into organizd visu forms to portray th gorithm procsss dynamics ovr tim. Static visuization ar usd prviously in txtbooks whr concpts ar xplaind by static illustration with cods, flowcharts and xplanation txts. Thn, animatd visuization appars to dlivr a dynamic rprsntation of cours contnts [63]. 199
Surprisingly, authors in [62] and [64] found that visuization is not significant and cannot b a standard mthod in data structur larning. Th animatd visuization has volvd to intractiv visuization which lads to dp undrstanding of th concpts [65], [66]. Although that intractiv visuization has a grat impact on larning but it has a waknss in ngaging studnts continuously, frquntly and activly [65]. This lads to using srious gams to tach data structur bcaus it is not only intractiv but so it ngags studnts to larn continuously [67], [68]. Th gam basd larning is ffctiv but it usd advancd tchniqus and may los th primary go of larning procss. So w nd to mor form approach that maintains th sriousnss of th ducation procss in addition to mak th cours mor intrsting and motivating. This can b achivd by using gamification tchniqu. 4.2. Gamifying th DS Cours Rathr than achiving th gos of th cours and its studnts through xtrinsic motivation such as: grads and points, w try to amplify th intrinsic motivation through gamification [69]. To achiv this, w hav to improv th studnts' sns of comptnc, autonomy and rlatdnss which ar thr basic lmnts of intrinsic motivation [70]. According to Slf-Dtrmination Thory (SDT), satisfying ths thr psychologic nds will nhanc th slf-motivation [71]. Przybylski t. [72] suggstd that th attractivnss of vido gams is com from thir ability to satisfy ths thr psychologic nds. Thy proposd a motivation modl basd on SDT to discovr how vido gams satisfy ths psychologic nds. For xampl: 1) using fdback and showing progrss will satisfy th comptnc fling, 2) providing choics of stratgis and opportunitis will satisfy th sns of autonomy and 3) comptition in th ladrboard and coopration in th forum will satisfy th rlatdnss. In ordr to mak th cours mor ngaging and intrsting, w gamifid it by bancing btwn graphic dsign and prsuasiv dsign [73]. Graphic dimnsion concrns th visu aspcts of th intrfac to b attractiv and lgibl whil kping its profssion and form apparanc. This hav bn achivd through a clar usr intrfac, using thm, diffrnt fonts, colors and glob layout [73]. Prsuasiv dimnsion concrns th gam lmnts to b incorporatd to th systm. Gam lmnts usd in our study and th rasons of its inclusion in th cours ar listd in Tabl 2. Tabl 2. Gamification Elmnts and Purpos of Its Us in th Cours Gam lmnt Purpos Avatar, Options in slcting topics, Options in dtrmining badgs To satisfy th autonomy nd according to SDT [71] Splitting cours contnt in smlr topics Splitting th ovrl objctiv into achivabl stps is a ky componnt in gamifid systm dvloping [47] Lvls To satisfy th comptnc nd according to SDT [71] To kp studnts within th flow by providing managabl tasks[48] Closd lvls To opn contnt progrssivly basd on [27] Points, Badgs, Progrss, Chlngs To satisfy th comptnc nd according to SDT [71] Fdback To satisfy th comptnc nd according to SDT [71] To avoid loss or confusing basd on [46] Ladrboard To satisfy th comptnc nd according to SDT [71] To satisfy th rlatdnss nd according to SDT [71] Forum, Chatting To satisfy th rlatdnss nd according to SDT [71] Extrn rsourcs To introduc fun lmnt[48] 200
To satisfy th autonomy nd according to SDT [71] Vidos tutori To introduc fun lmnt[48] To satisfy th autonomy nd according to SDT [71] 5. Systm Implmntation Th cours was built on Moodl LMS. Data structur contnt was uploadd to th cours. Intrfac was dsignd to b attractiv and lgibl whil kping its profssion and form apparanc. Gam lmnts wr addd. Accounts for studnts wr cratd. Whn a studnt login to th gamifid cours using hr account, sh can dit hr profil and upload hr own avatar. Fig. 1 showd th profil pag of th studnt. Fig. 1. Profil pag. Fig. 2. Gamifid cours intrfac. 201
In th cours main intrfac th data structur cours is dividd into main topics (binary tr, linkd list, rcursion, stack and quu) whr th studnt can choos any topic to larn first. Th cours intrfac is shown in Fig. 2. Each cours topic was dividd into lvls starting from lvl 1 (topic fundamnt) until highst lvl (practic problms). Th cours topics contnt will uncovrd progrssivly, so studnt cannot rach a lvl unlss finishing th prvious lvl. Opn and closd lvls ar shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3. Opn and closd lvls in binary tr topic. Thr ar many activitis in th cours, som ar mandatory and th othrs ar option. Studnt will arn points whn complting mandatory activitis lik assignmnt and quizzs. Extra points wr givn to studnt if sh do any of th option activitis such as rading th xtrn rsourcs, post or rply to forum, hlping classmats through answring thir qustion or rviw thir cods. For ach topic, thr is links to xtrn rsourcs for hlping studnt to find th suitabl matris and tak th most of th topic. Also, a vido tutori was includd in ach topic for making studnt mor undrstanding through audio and visu xprinc. Cours activitis of binary tr topic ar shown in Fig. 4. Studnt can tak a badg for ach achivmnt sh did whthr it is basd on mandatory or option activitis. Studnt has a choic of dtrmining which achivmnt sh want to achiv to gt badgs and xtra points for lvling up. Exampls of badgs and thir associatd achivmnt is prsntd in Fig. 5. Fdback is offrd constantly to show th studnt progrss within th cours through points and rcivd badgs. Points and badgs will affct studnt's status dirctly and this will b shown in th badgs sction and in th ladrboard. Badgs sction appars in th front pag of th cours, so studnt can s l badgs sh hav achivd as shown in Fig. 6. Ladrboard shows th highst fiv studnts in ach topic. It displays studnts by row sortd in dscnding ordr by points. Ladrboard provids a progrss to th studnt and ncourag comptition among thm whn thy s othrs rank. A scrnshot of ladrboard is shown in Fig. 7. Som chlngs wr addd to ach topic to improv studnt's skills. Chlnging contains programming problms sortd by thir difficulty lvl. Whn studnt can solv ths problms, sh will hav a high rat of 202
problm solving and ovrcoming failur skills. Som chlnging is shown in Fig. 8. Soci aspcts appar in forum and chatting. Through forum, studnts can post topics and rply to othrs' topics to shar thir opinions and xprincs. Also, studnt can hlp thir classmats by answring thir qustions and rviw thir programming cods. Chatting fatur lows studnt to communicat with ach othr flxibly. Fig. 9 shows th forum posts. Fig. 4. Binary tr mandatory and option activitis. Fig. 5. Badgs and achivmnts. Fig. 6. Collctd badgs ar shown in badg sction on th bottom right of th scrn. 203
Fig. 7. A scrnshot of th ladrboard. Fig. 8. Chlngs pag. Fig. 9. Th forum. 204
6. Exprimnt Study To vuat th ffctivnss of th gamifid cours, an xprimnt was conductd for 40 studnts of data structur cours. Initily w introducd th go of th xprimnt to th studnts. Thn w xplaind th cours contnt and illustratd th ida of gamification. W gav thm a dtaild dscription of how to us th gamifid cours to lt thm gt th most of larning xprinc. First, studnts hav to login to th gamifid cours and complt th pr-tst. Pr-tst is dvlopd to masur thir initi knowldg about data structur concpts. It covrs th basic topics of data structur. Thn, studnts hav to navigat th cours and do its activitis whil using gamification faturs implmntd in th cours. Finly, Studnt hav to do th post-tst to masur th ffctivnss of th gamification on hr larning outcom. Pr-tst and post-tst will usd to compar th larning prformanc of studnts bfor and aftr th gamification xprinc. Also, studnts askd to fill onlin qustionnair about thir fdback rgarding thir xprinc. Qustionnair will usd to masur studnt ngagmnt. 7. Rsults and Discussion Collctd data that rsultd from th xprimnt will prsntd and discussd in this sction. For facilitating th statistic anysis, points wr normizd in th rang 0-100. 7.1. Effct of Gamification on Larning Prformanc Fig. 10. Avrag of points for pr-tst and post-tst. Fig. 11. Point distribution of studnts in pr-tst and post-tst. 205
Fig. 11. shows th point distribution of studnts bfor and aftr th xprimnt. Bfor th gamification xprinc, mor than hf of studnts (64%) faild th tst. Th rst (35%) got grad C and D. No studnt got high grads. Aftr th gamification xprinc, just 7% of studnt faild th tst and 21% of studnt got grad D. Th sam prcnt of studnt (29%) got grad C and B, 14% got grad A. To vuat th ffctivnss of gamification on studnts' larning prformanc, w will compar th rsults of pr-tst and post-tst. Fig. 10 shows that th points avrag of pr-tst was 29.29 % whras points avrag of post-tst was 50.71% which mans that studnts gt mor points aftr th gamification xprinc. This rsult indicats that gamification has a positiv impact on larning prformanc. 7.2. Effct of Gamification on Studnt Engagmnt Th studnts wr askd to answr a qustionnair to masur thir ngagmnt in th gamifid cours. Th qustionnair contains nin statmnt and it basd on a fiv-point Likrt sc. Qustion statmnts and studnt's answrs ar summarizd in Tabl 3. Tabl 3. Engagmnt Qustionnair Rsults Qustion statmnt Strongly disagr Disagr Nithr agr nor disagr Agr Strongly agr 5.56 % 5.56 % 27.78 % 61.11 % I fl that th gamifid cours dsign was attractiv 5.56 % 5.56 % 61.11 % 27.78 % Th cours contnt was prsntd ffctivly? 11.11 % 5 38.89 % Using th cours matri was asy for m 5.56 % 11.11 % 33.33 % 5 I larnd about th cours topics asily 5 27.78 % 22.22 % I fl ngagd in this cours 16.67 % 38.89 % 44.44 % Th gamifid cours nhanc my motivation 27.78 % 22.22 % 5 I lik th gamification lmnts that addd to th cours 5.56 % 5 44.44 % I lik to gamify th othr courss 44.44 % 44.44 % 11.11 % Frquncy of studnts I njoyd th gamifid cours xprinc 56.60% 60% 50% 40% 39.40% 44.40% 44.40% 33.30% 30% 20% 10% 0% Gamification lmnts Fig. 12. Prfrrd gamification lmnts. 206
W can s that 88.89 % of studnts wr strongly agr or agr that thy njoyd th gamifid cours xprinc. About th gamifid cours, 61.11% agr that its dsign was attractiv, 50% of studnts bliv that cours contnt was prsntd ffctivly and its matri was asy o us. Most of th studnt flt ngagd in th cours (44.44 %) and thir motivation was nhancd (50 %). Hf of th studnt (50 %) likd th addd gamification lmnts but just 44.44 % lik to gamify th othr courss. Also, studnts wr askd to choos th most intrsting gamification fatur. Rsults ar shown in Fig. 12. Rsult shows that 56% of studnt found that lvling is th most intrsting fatur followd by badgs and ladrboard with rat of 44.4%, followd by avatars with rat of 39.4%, and finly is th forum with rat of 33.3%. 8. Conclusion and Futur Work Gamification is th us of gam lmnts in non-gam systms. It usd in -larning to incras th ffctivnss of larning procss and mak it mor intrsting. An xprimnt was conductd to vuat th ffctivnss of gamification on studnts' larning prformanc and ngagmnt. Pr-tst and post-tst wr usd to compar th rsults of studnt bfor and aftr th gamification xprinc. Rsults showd that gamification has a positiv impact on larnr through incrasing in thir marks. Also a qustionnair was usd to masur th studnt ngagmnt. Rsults showd that gamification mak th studnts intrsting and mor ngagd. Our futur work will try to masur studnt's ngagmnt through tracing thir bhavior through th cours not just from thir slf-rportd qustionnair. Anyz studnt ngagmnt will b don through using mor scintific mthods for masuring ngagmnt such as squnti pattrn mining. Rfrncs [1] Schll, J. (2008). Th art of gam dsign: A book of lnss. Ann. Phys., 54, 489. [2] Hunick, R., Lblanc, M., & Zubk, R. (2004). MDA: A form approach to gam dsign and gam rsarch. Discovry, 83(3), 1-5. [3] Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Dos gamification work? A litratur rviw of mpiric studis on gamification. Procdings of th 47th Hawaii Intrnation Confrnc on Systm Scinc. [4] G, J. P. (2003). What vido gams hav to tach us about larning and litracy. Hampshir, England, U.K.: Pgrav Macmillan, 256. [5] Kolowich, S. (2013). Th Chronicl. Rtrivd from th wbsit: http://chronicl.com/blogs/wirdcampus/univrsitis-try-mooc2dgr-courss-to-lursuccssful studnts-to-onlin-programs/41829 [6] Sun, P. C., Tsai, R. J., Fingr, G., Chn, Y. Y., & Yh, D. What drivs a succssful -Larning? An mpiric invstigation of th critic factors influncing larnr satisfaction. Computrs & Education, 50(1183 1202). [7] Highr Education Funding Council of England. (2005). HEFCE Stratgy for -Larning. [8] Normark, O. R., & Ctindamar, D. (2005). E-larning in a comptitiv firm stting. Innovations in Education & Taching Intrnation, 42(4), 325-335. [9] Dravs, W. A. (2007). Advancd Taching Onlin. Wisconsin: Larn. [10] Ellis, R. K. (2009). A fild guid to larning managmnt systms. Amrican Socity for Training and Dvlopmnt. [11] Hl, B. (2004). E-Larning Guidbook: Six Stps to Implmnting ELarning. Brandon-Hl.Com, Sunnyv, Cif, USA. 207
[12] Bickford, A. (2013). 12 Common Complaints about Larning Managmnt Systms (LMS). Rtrivd from th wbsit: http://connctthinking.com.au/12common-complaints-about-larning-managmnt-systms-lms/ [13] Subramanian, P., Zainuddin, N., Alatawi, S., Javabdh, T., & Hussin, A. R. C. (2014). A study of comparison btwn moodl and blackboard basd on cas studis for bttr LMS. Journ of Information Systms Rsarch and Innovation. [14] Top 20 LMS softwar 2017 Compar rviws. Captrra.com. Rtrivd from th wbsit: https://www.captrra.com/larning-managmnt-systm-softwar/#infographic [15] Moodl Opn-sourc larning platform Moodl.org. (2017). Moodl.org. Rtrivd from th wbsit: https://moodl.org/?lang=ar [16] Blackboard Education Tchnology & Srvics. Blackboard.com. Rtrivd from th wbsit: http://www.blackboard.com/indx.html [17] Bri, D., Garcia, M., Coll, H., & Llort, J. (2007). A Study of Virtu Larning Environmnts. [18] Kumar, S., Gankotiya, A. K., & Dutta, K. (2011). A Comparativ Study of MOODLE with othr -Larning Systms. [19] Logan, K., & Numann, T. (2010). Comparison of Blackboard 9.1 and Moodl 2.0. [20] Compar moodl vs blackboard 2017 financs onlin. Financsonlin.com. Rtrivd from th wbsit: https://comparisons.financsonlin.com/moodl-vs-blackboard-larn [21] Kostr, R. (2005). A Thory of Fun for Gam Dsign. Scottsd. Arizona: Paraglyph Prss. [22] Sn, K., & Zimmrman, E. (2003). Ruls Play: Gam Dsign Fundamnts. Cambridg, MA, USA: MIT Prss. [23] Ulicsak, M., & Williamson, B. (2011). Computr Gams and Larning: A Handbook. London: Futurlab. [24] Connolly, T. M., Stansfild, M., & McLllan, E. (2006). Using an onlin gams-basd larning approach to tach databas dsign concpts. Elctronic journ of -Larning, 4(1), 103-110. [25] Connolly, T. M., Stansfild, M., & Hainy, T. (2007). Using gams-basd larning to tach softwar nginring. WEBIST, 304-31. [26] Simõs, J., Rdondo, R., & Vilas, A. (2012). A Soci gamification framwork for a K-6 larning platform. Computrs in Human Bhavior, 28. [27] Cristina, I. M. Raising Engagmnt in -Larning through Gamification. [28] Ibanz, M., Di-Srio, A., & Dlgado-Kloos, C. (2014). Gamification for ngaging computr scinc studnts in larning activitis: A cas study. IEEE Transactions on Larning Tchnologis, 7(3). [29] Simõs, J., Rdondo, R., Vilas, A., Aguiar, A. (2013). A gamification framwork to improv participation in soci larning nvironmnts. E-Larning Paprs. [30] Mon, T. W. (1980). What maks things fun to larn? Huristics for dsigning instruction computr gams. Procdings of th 3rd ACM SIGSMALL symposium and th first SIGPC symposium on Sml systms SIGSMALL 80 (pp. 162 169). USA: ACM Prss, 1980. [31] Bowman, R. F. (1982). A Pac-Man thory of motivation. Tactic implications for classroom instruction. Education Tchnology, 22(9), 14-17. [32] Dtrding, S., Khd, R., Nack, L., Dixon, D. (2011). Gamification: Toward a dfinition. Procdings of CHI 2011 Gamification Workshop, Canada. [33] Shnidrman, B. (2004). Dsigning for fun: How can w dsign usr intrfacs to b mor fun? Intractions, 11(5), 48-50. [34] Wrbach, K., & Huntr, D. (2012). For th win: How gam thinking can rvolutioniz your businss. Philadlphia: Wharton Digit Prss. [35] Flatla, D., Gutwin, C., Nack, L., Batman, S., & Mandryk, R. (2011). Cibration gams: Making 208
cibration tasks njoyabl by adding motivating gam lmnts. Cifornia: UIST, Santa Barbara. [36] Viola, F. (2011). Gamification I vidogiochinlla vita quotidiana. Arduino Viola. [37] Khan Acadmy. (2017). Khan Acadmy. Rtrivd from th wbsit: https://www.khanacadmy.org/ [38] Larn l about ClassDojo. (2017). ClassDojo. Rtrivd from th wbsit: https://www.classdojo.com/ [39] Portlli, J. P., & McMahon, B. (2004). Engagmnt for what? Byond popular discourss of studnt ngagmnt. Ladrship Policy Schools, 3(1), 59-76. [40] Schlchty, P. (1994). Incrasing studnt ngagmnt. Missouri Ladrship. Acad. [41] Simns, G. (2004). Larning Managmnt Systms: Th Wrong Plac to Start Larning, larnspac. Rtrivd from th wbsit: http://www.larnspac.org/articls/lms.htm [42] Ehlrs, U. D. (2009). Wb 2.0 -larning 2.0 Quity 2.0? Quity for nw larning culturs. Quity Assuranc in Education, 17(3), 296 314. [43] Urh, M., Vukovic, G., Jrb, E., & Pintar, R. (2015). Th modl for introduction of gamification into -larning in highr ducation. Procdings of th 7th World Confrnc on Education Scincs, (WCES-2015), Novotl Athns Convntion Cntr, Athns, Grc. [44] Montrra, B., Lavoué, É., & Gorg, S. (2011). Toward prsonisd gamification for larning nvironmnts. adfa, 1. [45] Fogg, B. J. (2009). A bhavior modl for prsuasiv dsign. Procdings of th 4th Intrnation Confrnc on Prsuasiv Tchnology. [46] Raymr, R. (2011). Gamification: Using gam mchanics to nhanc larning. Larn, 2011(9), 3. [47] Ptrovic, V., & Ivtic, D. (2012). Gamifying ducation: A proposd taxonomy of satisfaction mtrics. Procdings of th 8th Int. Sci. Conf. Larn. Softw. Edu. (pp. 345 350). [48] Nicholson, S. (2012). A usr-cntrd thortic framwork for maningful gamification. Procdings of Gams Larn. Soc. 8.0 (pp. 223 230). [49] Barata, G., Gama, S., Jorg, J., & Gonçvs, D. (2013). Engaging Enginring Studnts with Gamification-n Empiric Study. [50] Jayasingh, U., & Dharmaratn, A. (2013). Gam basd larning vs. gamification from th highr ducation studnts prspctiv. Procdings of IEEE Intrnation Confrnc on Taching, Assssmnt and Larning for Enginring (TALE) (p. 683). [51] Brkling, K., & Thomas, C. (2013). Gamification of a softwar nginring cours- and a dtaild anysis of th factors that lad to its failur. Procdings of Intrnation Confrnc on Intractiv Collaborativ Larning (ICL) (p. 525). [52] Domínguz, A., Sanz-d-Navarrt, J., d-marcos, L., Frnándz-Sanz, L., Pagés, C., & Martínz-Hrráiz, J. (2013). Gamifying larning xprincs: Practic implications and outcoms. Computrs & Education, 63, 380 392. [53] Todor, V., & Pitică, D. (2013). Th gamification of th study of lctronics in ddicatd larning platforms. Spring Sminar on Elctronics Tchnology, 428. [54] Akpolat, B., & Slany, W. (2014). Enhancing softwar nginring studnt tam ngagmnt in a high-intnsity xtrm programming cours using gamification. Procdings of IEEE 27th Confrnc on Softwar Enginring Education and Training (CSEE&T) (p. 149). [55] Ibanz, M., Di-Srio, A., & Dlgado-Kloos, C. (2014). Gamification for ngaging computr scinc studnts in larning activitis: A cas study. IEEE Transactions On Larning Tchnologis, 7(3), 291. [56] Auvinn, T., Hakulinn, L., & Mmi, L. (20150. Incrasing studnts awarnss of thir bhavior in onlin larning nvironmnts with visuizations and achivmnt badgs. IEEE Transactions on Larning Tchnologis, 8(3), 261-273. 209
[57] d-marcos, L., Garcia-Lopz, E., & Garcia-Cabot, A. (2016). On th ffctivnss of gam-lik and soci approachs in larning: Comparing ducation gaming, gamification & soci ntworking. Computrs &Education, 95, 99-113. [58] Hw, K. F., Huang, B., Chu, K. W. S., & Chiu, D. K. (2016). Engaging Asian studnts through gam mchanics: Findings from two xprimnt studis. Computrs & Education, 92, 221-236. [59] Ortiz-Rojas1, M., Chiluiza, K., & Vck, M. (2017). Gamification in computr programming: Effcts on larning, ngagmnt, slf-fficacy and intrinsic motivation. Procdings of Europan Confrnc on Gam Basd Larning. [60] Zamora, F., Carlosa, J., Aranda, & Danil, A. (2017). Implmntation of a gamification platform in a mastr dgr (Mastr in Economics). Working Paprs on Oprations Managmnt, 8, 81-190. [61] Wang, X., Fan, J., & Sun, G. (2012). Th xploration and practic of data structur taching basd on CDIO modl. Procdings of th 7th Intrnation Confrnc on Computr Scinc & Education. [62] Garcia, R. A., & Al-Safadi, L. A. (2014). Intrvntion stratgis for th improvmnt of studnts acadmic prformanc in data structur cours. Intrnation Journ of Information and Education Tchnology, 4(5). [63] Byrn, M. D., Catrambon, R., & Statsko, J. T. (1996). Do gorithm animations aid larning? Tch. Rp. GIT-GVU-96-18. [64] Hundhausn, C., Douglas, S., & Stasko, J. (2002). A mta-study of gorithm visuization ffctivnss. Visu Languags and Computing, 13(3), 259-290. [65] Naps, T. L., Rößling, G., Dann, W., Almstrum, V., Flischr, R., Hundhausn, C., & Korhonn, A. (2002). Exploring th rol of visuization and ngagmnt in computr scinc ducation. ACM SIGCSE Bulltin, 5(2), 131-152. [66] Patl, S. (2014). A litratur rviw on tools for larning data structurs. Univrsity of Cap Town. [67] Shabanah, S., & Chn, J. X. (2009). Simplifying gorithm larning using srious gams. Procdings of th 14th Wstrn Canadian Confrnc on Computing Education. [68] Lawrnc, R. (2003). Taching data structurs using comptitiv gams. IEEE Transactions on Education. [69] Dtrding, S. (2012). Gamification: Dsigning for motivation. Intractions, 19(4), 14-17. [70] Dci, E., & Ryan, R. (2004). Handbook of Slf-Dtrmination Rsarch. Univrsity of Rochstr Prss. [71] Ryan, R. M., & Dci, E. L. (2000). Slf-dtrmination thory and th facilitation of intrinsic motivation, soci dvlopmnt, and wll-bing. Amrican Association, 55(1), 68-78. [72] Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). A motivation modl of vido gam ngagmnt. Rviw of Gnr Psychology, 14(2), 154-166. [73] Marach-Francisco, C., & Brangir, E. (2013). Prcption of gamification: Btwn graphic dsign and prsuasiv dsign. Marcus A. (ds) Dsign, Usr Exprinc, and Usability. Hth, Larning, Playing, Cultur, and Cross-Cultur Usr Exprinc. Rm S. Al-Towirgi is a taching assistant in th Faculty of Computing and Information Tchnology at Taif Univrsity, Taif, Saudi Arabia. Currntly, sh is a mastr studnt, Faculty of Computing and Information Tchnology, King Abdulaziz Univrsity, Jddah, Saudi Arabia. Sh obtaind a B.Sc from th Computr Scinc Dpartmnt, Faculty of Scinc, King Abdulaziz Univrsity in 2007. Hr rsarch intrst includs -laning, gamification, and data mining. Lamya Fouad Daghstani is an assistant profssor in th Faculty of Computing and Information Tchnology at King Abdulaziz Univrsity. Sh obtaind th bachlor dgr from Computr Scinc, Faculty 210
of Sinc, King Abdulaziz Univrsity 1989. Sh obtaind a mastr's dgr from Dpartmnt of Informatics / Digit Mdia, Computing and Enginring, Univrsity of Huddrsfild 2007. Sh obtaind a doctorat dgr from Digit Mdia, Computing and Enginring, Univrsity of Huddrsfild, 2013. Hr rsarch intrsts includ computr graphics, virtu rity and virtu nvironmnts, -larning tchnologis, -library managmnt, sarch ngins and th smantic wb. Lamiaa Fattouh Ibrahim is a profssor in th Faculty of Computing and Information Tchnology at King Abdulaziz Univrsity in Jddah and in th Institut of Statistic Studis and Rsarch at Cairo Univrsity. Sh obtaind a Ph.D from th Faculty of Enginring, Cairo Univrsity in 1999, a mastr's dgr from th Computr and Systms Enginring Dpartmnt in th Faculty of Enginring, Ain Shams Univrsity in 1993, a mastr's dgr from th Ecol Nation Supriur d Tlcommunication, ENST Paris in 1-987, and a B.Sc from th Computr and Automatic Control Dpartmnt, Faculty of Enginring, Ain Shams Univrsity in 1984. Sh has ovr 33 yars of xprinc in th filds of ntwork nginring and artifici intllignc, focusing on applying knowldg bas and data mining tchniqus in wird and wirlss ntwork planning. Sh has publishd paprs in many intrnation journs and intrnation confrncs in th aras of ntworks, data mining, and wird and mobil ntwork planning. 211