- Year 2019
- NSF Award #1660794
- Registration Current Noyce Scholar
- First Name Shannon
- Last Name Le
- Discipline Biology
- Institution Loyola University Chicago
- School Name and District Currently Teaching Addison Trail High School, Dupage District 88
Abstract
Rationale: As stated by Darina Dicheva in “Gamification in Education: A Systematic Mapping Study,” “traditional schooling is perceived as ineffective and boring by many students.” (Dicheva, 2015, p. 1). Gamification has slowly moved into the education realm, and its benefits can include increased student participation and engagement, differentiation, and ability to track student data. Games have become more appealing as they can “teach and reinforce not only knowledge but also important skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication” (Dicheva, 2015, p. 1). They also have “remarkable motivational power” (Dicheva, 2015, p. 1). As such, I have attempted to incorporate more games and gaming elements to increase student motivation. Activity Summary: The goal of the lockbox activity is to have groups of students attempt to unlock a box by solving various puzzles and answering questions. Typically, there are 5-6 different types of locks attached to the box (3 digit pin, 4 digit pin, 5 letter word, key lock, directional lock, combination). Lockboxes can be used to review any material by adjusting the questions and puzzles given to the students. Usually, I make a class set that is laminated so it can be reused over the years. The goal of the digital escape rooms are similar to the lockboxes, but rather than having students physically remove/unlock several locks on the box, students navigate through a series of questions and puzzles to find a PIN that allows them to proceed to the next level. This is usually done through Google Forms. Finally, scavenger hunts are another great way to gamify your lesson plan by having students answer questions and decode the answers to find the next clue in the classroom. Student Outcomes: These lessons have only been used with three classes: two honors biology and one sheltered biology. The effectiveness of these activities on student achievement cannot yet be determined based on limited data. One example shows that for the DNA unit when the lockbox and scavenger hunt activities were used, the average assessment scores were 71%, 73%, and 74%. Other test data will be included in the poster. Poster will include examples from class and tips for implementation.
