Gamification and Datafication towards Learning Forecasting

Project Information

GANDALF

Grant agreement ID: 840809

DOI

10.3030/840809

Project closed

EC signature date 12 April 2019

Start date 7 October 2019

End date 6 October 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 190 680,96

EU contribution

€ 190 680,96

Coordinated by

TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GANDALF (Gamification and Datafication towards Learning Forecasting)

Reporting period: 2019-10-07 to 2021-10-06

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

GANDALF (GAmification aNd DAtafication towards Learning Forecasting) experimentally designed and researched gamification and datafication solutions that improved learning outcomes, aiming to address the need for civic understanding of data which is crucial for sustainable societal decision-making.
During the last decade, the world's data is doubling every two years, and the pace at which humans create data is expected to increase exponentially. Thanks to technological growth, data is ‘exploding’, offering us today “a gift from yesterday, to make our future better” (Acuff, 2017). But this gift is only as beneficial as the insights that we gain from it. Despite the data explosion, education in the context of statistics and STEM remains a difficult field for citizens or even students to engage with.
A possible solution to this need for data education arises from games. The number of gamers worldwide keeps increasing, showing the potential of game experiences and gamification to affect human behavior and motivation, even in contexts that are more difficult to engage such as data analytics and forecasting education (Legaki et al., 2020; Legaki et al., 2021).
The main objective of GANDALF was to investigate the effects of different types of gamification on learning outcomes in the educational context of exploratory data analysis (EDA) and in the construction of world-views based on data. To this end, a web-based, publicly available, educational, and interactive application was designed and implemented, supporting challenge-, immersion-, social-based gamification and a non-gamified version, to experimentally examine the behavioural and psychological effects of individual affordances (linked to different gamification types) on learning basic concepts of EDA and promote a fact-based worldview related to challenging social problems (e.g. data related to Sustainable Development Goals SDGs2030, COVID-19). A series of online experiments have been conducted with participants selected among both students and the general public worldwide (N=478). Preliminary statistical analysis of the results shows the effectiveness of the designed application and the promising effects of an interactive learning environment regarding the learning outcomes, without noticing statistically significant differences among the different types of gamification. Further data analysis is still to be done related to participants' attitudes, and their gameful experience.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project was timely managed (WP1), maintaining constructive communication between the supervisor and the Experienced Researcher (ER), contributing to the ER’s Career Development (CDP).
In WP2, GANDALF produced a systematic literature review, regarding the contribution of gamification in statistics and forecasting education. Then, an educational, web-based, and gamified application was designed, considering carefully a pre- and post-test experimental design setting. The aim of this application was to teach basic concepts of EDA, using real open data related to societal challenges. Gamification was carefully designed and integrated by creating four different and equivalent versions i.e. challenge-, immersion-, social-based gamification and a control version. The application was implemented using web technologies (WP3). Finally, online experiments were conducted (WP4), employing students and a public audience worldwide. The experimental design supported random assignment of the participants into different gamification versions, in order to investigate gamification impact.
Primary statistical analysis shows improvement in learning outcomes using the application overall, but no statistically significant differences have been noticed among different types of gamification. However, further analysis is already planned regarding the gameful experience, flow, and attitudes.
The dissemination of GANDALF’s results (WP5) was undertaken through a series of lectures in three different universities and by organising and delivering a summer school course. GANDALF has been disseminated also, thanks to five main deliverables consisting of academic publications, and presentations at international conferences. Other dissemination activities included conference participation, presentations to the media, workshops, and intense activities of social media and website outreach.
In a parallel research line, the ER was involved in various collaborations, which helped both ER’s CDP and the dissemination of GANDALF's results. The ER with two MSCA-IF Fellows designed and implemented a gamified and playful activity, for GamiFIN conferences 2020 and 2021. The participation of the ER in other projects: UNITE [337653]; and PROTREIN [EU’s Horizon 2020 MSCA-ITN 95614] helped to disseminate GANDALF’s results to a wide panel of academic and industry members. Furthermore, the ER supervises doctoral studies related to GANDALF’s project goals, increasing the societal contribution of GANDALF.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Despite the current data explosion, there is still a need to improve citizens’ data and statistical skills. Recently, gamification has been increasingly used in education to motivate its users. However, more controlled experimental research is needed to investigate the impact of gamification, in different educational contexts, and the effects of the individual affordances in a given implementation. Thus, GANDALF successfully met the set objectives and investigated the effects of different gamification types on learning, while promoting fact-based world-views. The main dimensions of the progress beyond the state-of-the-art are:
Design and implementation of a gamified application that teaches EDA topics. Based on a primary statistical analysis of the results, the gamified application improved participants' learning outcomes. Thus, the approaches promoted by GANDALF synthesize an educational system that motivates participants to interpret data and teaches them how to understand statistical concepts, improving their learning outcomes. Hence, GANDALF’s results contribute to research related to gamification, game-based learning, and education but also to the design of further educational applications or statistical reports and dashboards, which will advance and promote public understanding of data and create statistical citizens.
Investigation of the impact of different gamification types (i.e. challenge-, immersion-, social-based), linked only with one motivational affordance per time, on behavioral and psychological outcomes. The online experiments helped to fill the mentioned gap in gamification research literature regarding the impact of different gamification elements on behavioural and psychological outcomes.
Promotion of a data-based view of the world related to societal changes. GANDALF promotes teaching methodologies about emerging data, helping people to better understand our digitized environment and to adopt a data-based view of the world vis-a-vis major societal challenges. So, on an even greater scale, GANDALF thematic focus supports the SDGs2030 of the United Nation, by raising awareness and improving the knowledge of the current situation on the topical areas.
Foundation of GANDALF’s hub, as a research game hub with gameful initiatives to raise awareness and motivate citizens’ understanding about important topics of our society.

GANDALF's logo

GANDALF's application scheen with added motivational affordances