Student engagement in online discussions through a gamified approach

Asynchronous online discussion is important in online and blended courses by supporting various activities for students to interact with classmates and instructors. Benefits of asynchronous online discussion often include outcomes such as promoting thoughtful and reflective interaction among peers, engaging students in classes, and bolstering active learning. However, only when students engage in the discussions, can the aforementioned benefits occur. Low participation rate and shallow discourse are frequently reported by researchers. Being physically isolated from classmates and lacking an omnipresent instructor, student engagement in online discussions heavily leans on their motivation and self-regulated learning. By taking the motivational benefits of the gamification approach, this dissertation presents the products of a program of inquiry on designing, developing, and evaluating the gamification approach for promoting student engagement in online discussions. Featuring six game elements, gEchoLu, was designed and developed for this dissertation that allows instructors to gamify online discussions.