| Abstract [eng] |
Learning all our lives becomes a part of our society and culture, however, though increasing in popularity, adult education faces certain difficulties: low motivation and involvement, difficulties balancing learning with work and family, etc. Various tools and methods used by adult educators help to decrease appearing problems. Gamification of education (using game mechanics in other areas and activities) impacts learners’ behaviour and psychology, increasing learning motivation and involvement. Various virtual tools and the possibility of distance learning allow to balance learning with work and family. Gamification of adult education is not a usual occurrence; adult educators face a lack of information and support. The possibilities of usage of gamification based scenarios in adult education were chosen as the object of the project. The aim of the project is to encourage adult educators to use gamification in adult education designing a set of gamification-based learning scenarios and recommendations for their implementation to improve the effectiveness of distance education for adults. In order to achieve the aim, it was planned to carry out an analysis of literature sources, to determine the peculiarities of adult education and the possibilities of using gamification in distance education; to design a template for a set of scenarios for adult educators; to create scenarios for distance education of adults releasing them on the online platform; to prepare conclusions and recommendations for adult educators for the effective implementation of scenarios; to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification based scenarios, and to provide guidelines for improving the website and scenarios. During the project, a survey was conducted to find out the need for gamification in education, interviews with adult educators to find out whether there is enough support using gamification elements, and when evaluating the implemented project, interviews were conducted to evaluate the gamification scenarios and the website where they were presented. The work consists of five parts, which provide (1) an analysis of the literature on adult education and the integration of gamification into education, (2) describe the problems in this area and present the results of a study of the need of gamification when working with adults, (3) describe the design and implementation of a website about gamification and gamification scenarios, and (4) present the evaluation results, areas for improvement and (5) work conclusions. A webpage https://zaidybinimas.lt has been created, which provides gamification scenarios and other information necessary for adult educators to successfully integrate gamification into adult education. On the webpage, there is also a possibility to share experiences and get the necessary support, in order to use gamification in educational activities. After the evaluation, adult educators who tested the gamification scenarios positively evaluate the created product and say that gamification helps adults to get involved in activities and increase their motivation. The information gathered during the project was shared at the ALTA'21 and ALTA'22 conferences, and the prepared article "Developing Digital Skills in Gamified Educational Programs for Adult Learners" was published in the ALTA'22 proceedings „Advanced Learning Technologies and Applications. Digital Competences in Education“. The gamification scenarios are implemented in the informational system of Telšiai Education centre. |
