LMS gamification may seem like a fad, but it can lead to improved engagement. We wrap up what it is and how you can integrate it into your LMS.
Learner engagement is at the heart of effective L&D strategies, and it’s more crucial now than ever.
Nowadays, in the working world, you’re contending with hybrid or remote working models.
As a result, traditional methods of training are failing.
But that’s not all.
Our attention is used more and more, and with more distractions in the way, it can be hard to keep learning at the forefront of your employee’s mind.
The obvious solution?
Make learning a priority.
A staggering 76% of employees report they’re more likely to stay with a company that prioritises continuous training, underscoring the link between engagement and retention.
And it’s win win for you.
Engaged employees want to learn, you want employees to learn.
To meet these needs, L&D professionals need innovative solutions that go beyond static eLearning modules and slide decks.
One such approach is gamification.
In this blog we’ll go through:
- What LMS gamification is
- Core elements of gamification
- 6 key gamification examples
Let’s get started.
What is LMS gamification?
LMS gamification is the application of game-design elements and principles within a learning management system (LMS) to enhance user engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes.
It involves integrating features such as points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges into the educational content, making the learning experience more interactive and enjoyable.
💡 Pro Tip
We built our very own gamification plugin for Totara LMSs. From leaderboards and points, to badges, see how it works.
Our gamification feature
Key elements of gamification in eLearning
In order to achieve gamification on your LMS, you need to have the four following elements:
- A challenge or goal
- Obstacles
- Incentives or rewards
- Rules
You might be wondering how to apply this to your LMS?
And we will get on that.
But it’s important to remember that gamification at its core is actually quite simple.
All we’re doing is adding enjoyment and creativity to learning. This helps it feel less stuffy, and of course, improves learner engagement.
Benefits of gamification in an LMS
Integrating gamification into your LMS offers a variety of advantages, fundamentally transforming the learning experience.
By blending game mechanics with educational content, gamification helps to capture attention, maintain motivation, and boost retention.
Benefits of gamification include:
- Increased learner engagement
- Improved knowledge retention
- Boosted motivation
- Healthy competition
- Increased social learning
Here’s a closer look at the specific benefits:
Increases learner engagement
Gamification captures the interest of learners by making the learning process interactive and enjoyable.
When learners are rewarded with points, badges, or virtual achievements, it creates a sense of accomplishment.
This active participation leads to better engagement as learners are driven to explore the platform, interact with the content, and complete more activities.
For instance, leaderboards can spark friendly competition, encouraging students to invest time and effort into their studies.
Boosts knowledge retention and application
Game-based learning emphasises active participation and experiential learning, which are proven to enhance retention.
When learners engage with the material through interactive scenarios, quizzes, and simulations, they are more likely to remember the information and apply it in real-world situations.
Gamification transforms passive learning into a dynamic, hands-on experience that fosters deeper understanding.
Enhances motivation
Game elements like rewards, progress tracking, and challenges tap into intrinsic motivation — the desire to learn for personal satisfaction.
The prospect of earning rewards motivates learners to progress further, while the anticipation of the next achievement keeps them coming back.
Additionally, when learners feel rewarded for their progress, it reinforces positive behavior, helping to cement knowledge and improve retention rates.
Encourages healthy competition
Leaderboards and ranking systems introduce an element of competition, which can be a strong motivator.
When learners see their names climbing the leaderboard, they feel a sense of accomplishment and are encouraged to outperform themselves and their peers.
This kind of competition can be especially effective in corporate training settings, where employees may be motivated to complete courses faster or more efficiently than their colleagues.
Promotes collaborative learning
Some gamified elements encourage teamwork and collaboration.
Group challenges or multiplayer quizzes foster a sense of community among learners, making the process less isolating and more social.
When learners collaborate to solve problems or achieve common goals, they develop communication skills and learn from one another, enhancing the overall educational experience.
6 key LMS gamification features
Each LMS will have different methods, but these are some common LMS gamification features you’ll see in your LMS.
Coincidentally, these are all features that you can find in a BuildEmpire LMS built with Totara.
Progression-based learning
Game levels, or progression-based learning is an easy way to apply gamification to your LMS.
Instead of dropping learning in large groups, gamify the learning experience by unlocking subsequent modules only after completion of previous learning.
This will give learners something to work towards and a goal to pursue.
Levels to “pass” also gives a sense of achievement, as they literally move up the ranks. You could also link levels to progression in the company e.g. a change in job title or a pay rise within their band.
Badges
Badges are a classic example of gamification because they work.
They’re virtual rewards for completing learning content which users can display on their profile, or share across networking channels.
Before you implement badges, think about how they could apply to your learner’s everyday working life.
For example, you may want to create a “Social Media Whizz” badge for a marketing learner and use social icons on your badge imagery.
Points
Create a points system within your LMS.
Reward learners for engaging with your content. You could even give them points for logging in.
You could also consider rewarding students for easy tasks, and then increase the difficulty and score
For example, a learner could earn 1 point for completing the first part of a learning course, and then 5 for the second part.
Assigning points creates competition in your learning and allows learners to assess themselves against their working counterparts.
Leaderboards
Once you’ve set up a points system, the next logical step is to have leaderboards.
Ranking learners based on their points can help create healthy competition as they each strive to get their name at the top of the list!
You could separate leaderboards by groups e.g. teams, or you could assign leaderboards to specific courses or course groups, to see who has performed the best in a particular area.
Rewards
Remember that rewards are a fundamental element of gamification.
Badges and points could count as your rewards, but what’s something more tangible?
Some customers have linked point allocation to an online store where learners can spend those points for vouchers or time off.
Visual design
What your LMS looks like is vitally important.
And even a nice design can apply gamification elements to your platform. Build in interaction and gamified elements to your course content
Best LMS gamification software
BuildEmpire is a platinum partner of Totara which means we create truly user-centric solutions.
We’re proud of our platform for a few reasons.
First, it has a guaranteed uptime of 99.998%.
But the main reason we love the platform we’ve created is that it has all of the features and elements that you need.
You get a robust LMS that allows you to track compliance, report on impact, link in performance management.
But you also get a platform that allows you to add gamification elements.
Because, we know that the user is king, so we build platforms that we would want to use ourselves.
We’d love to show you how it works so book a demo with our team to see if it could be a good fit for you.