Gamification of OER: examples, theories and applications in
LIVRESQ platform
Find out how you can integrate game elements into your lessons to increase student interest and participation. The article presents gamification strategies and practical examples to help you increase classroom motivation through play.
Table of Contents
Gamification of online lessons has become an increasingly popular trend in education. By turning learning activities into games and using game designteachers can increase students' interest and motivation. Platform LIVRESQ, designed to create interactive lessons, makes it easy to integrate these playful elements. In this article we explore what gamification in education, why it is beneficial, and how we can apply theories and practical examples (including external tools such as JigsawPlanet) in lessons created with LIVRESQ.Gamification of online lessons has become an increasingly popular trend in education. By turning learning activities into games and using game designteachers can increase students' interest and motivation. Platform LIVRESQ, designed to create interactive lessons, makes it easy to integrate these playful elements. In this article we explore what gamification in education, why it is beneficial, and how we can apply theories and practical examples (including external tools such as JigsawPlanet) in lessons created with LIVRESQ.
What is gamification in education?
Gamification (gamification) refers to the use of
game mechanics and game elements in non-game contexts, such as the process
educational. The term gamification gamify) was
first used in 2002 by British developer Nick Pelling, meaning
initially "accelerating and attractiveness of electronic instruments by
game-like interfaces"
Today, the concept has expanded into a modern method
through which students acquire knowledge through the game, using means
digital interactive. In short, gamification brings play in the classroom
virtual, making learning more engaging and fun.
A key aspect of gamification is the use of mechanisms
game - e.g. points, levels, badges (badges), rankings
(leaderboards), virtual challenges or rewards - applied to lessons and
educational activities. The aim is to stimulate the active participation of
students and give them immediate feedback. In this way, student performance can
be assessed quickly through scores or individualized feedback, and students become
more actively involved, able to understand and retain more easily
information presented.
In practice, through gamification, ordinary lessons take on elements
games that challenge, stimulate curiosity and motivate students to
progress.
Why use gamification in online lessons?
Benefits of gamification online are numerous. Firstly, it increases student motivation and engagement. A gamified lesson is perceived as a challenge or adventure rather than a boring school obligation. Students who participate in gamified activities tend to be more engaged and focused because they have a clear goal (e.g. to get a better score or to 'unlock' the next level). Studies show that students retain information better when they are actively involved in the learning process, not just passive receivers of information. Gamification, by its interactive nature, promotes this active involvement, which improves knowledge retention and long-term understanding.
Secondly, gamification offers immediate feedback. Through quizzes, quick tests or scoring systems integrated into the lesson, students find out on the spot whether they have understood the material correctly. This instant feedback helps them identify gaps and correct mistakes in a constructive way. It also makes them feel rewarded for their effort (e.g. with a congratulatory message), which increases their satisfaction. A satisfied and distracted During the learning process, they will spend more time on the e-learning platform and will be eager to revisit the lessons - a huge advantage both from an educational perspective and from the perspective of web indicators (time spent on page, return rate, etc.).
Last but not least, gamification allows personalization and tailoring of learning. Learners can progress at their own pace, retake levels or exercises until they have fully mastered the knowledge and have a learning experience more memorable. Learning becomes experiential: the student learn by doing (learning by doing) and experiencing the consequences of actions in a safe play environment. This type of hands-on learning has a greater impact on the skills and competences formed.
Theories and basics of gamification
From a theoretical point of view, gamification has its roots in motivational psychology and experiential learning theories. Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan) suggest that people are more motivated when their needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness are met. Gamification targets exactly these aspects: it gives students the opportunity to become proficient (master tasks and achieve high scores), gives them a degree of autonomy (they can sometimes choose the order of activities, they can re-try challenges) and creates the context for relating (through leaderboards or group games that develop team spirit and healthy competition).
Another relevant concept is Flow (theorized by the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi) - the state of deep concentration and total involvement in an activity. A good design of a gamified lesson aims to induce flow: the challenges should be appropriate to the learner's abilities (neither too easy - which would lead to boredom, nor too difficult - which would lead to frustration). Game elements such as graded levels, scores or extra lives help to regulate this difficulty and keep the learner at stake.
Elements of gamification commonly used include:
- Points and scores: students get points for correctly solving tasks or for active participation. Scores give a sense of progress.
- Badges and rewards: On reaching certain targets (e.g. completing a module or scoring above 90%), the student may receive a digital badge or certificate. These rewards publicly recognize achievement and provide encouragement.
- Leaderboard: Displaying the best scores or progress of all students (anonymized or not) can stimulate positive competition. Students will want to improve their position by repeating the exercises.
- Narration and characters: some gamified lessons use a story or narrative context (e.g: "You're a detective who has to solve math mysteries to get ahead"). A compelling story increases immersion and interest.
- Challenges and missions: The lesson can be structured as a series of missions or quests that the student has to accomplish. Each mission achieved brings him closer to the final goal.
- Attractive visual feedback: progress bars, congratulations animations for correct answers, sound effects - all these make the experience more interactive even more enjoyable.
These elements, strategically combined, transform educational content into a serious game (serious game), where learning is the main goal and fun is the medium through which that goal is achieved.
Practical examples of gamification in LIVRESQ Networks
Interactive quizzes and quizzes
LIVRESQ has native integration for quizzes with different types of questions (grid, true/false, free response). You can turn a knowledge check into a little trivia game, awarding points for each correct answer. For example, after a theory lesson, insert a lightning quiz of 5 questions. Give instant feedback - "Bravo! You get 10 points" or "Wrong answer, try again" - and the opportunity to try again. This method encourages students to even compete with themselves for a better score.
Branching scenarios
Using the platform functionalities, you can create scenarios where the course of the lesson depends on the student's choices. This adds an element of adventure. For a history lesson, for example, you could present a scenario: "You are an explorer in ancient Egypt. Do you want to enter the pyramid or study the hieroglyphs on the wall?" Each choice leads to a different section of the lesson. The student feels in control and becomes a character in the story, which greatly increases engagement.
Systems
badges
Even though LIVRESQ does not yet have a built-in badge system as such, you can manually create badges to display at the end of some modules. For example, create images (icons) that represent badges ("Fraction Expert", "Grammar Master", etc.) and display them on the screen when the student successfully completes a set of exercises. You can instruct students to take screenshots of the badges they have earned and collect in a digital portfolio if you want to extend the motivational effect.
Stopwatch and time-based challenges
If the nature of the lesson allows it, introduce a timer (e.g. use a GIF or embedded script) for certain tasks. "Solve this puzzle as fast as you can in 60 seconds!" - Such against-the-clock challenges bring the adrenaline of games into an educational context. But be careful not to generate anxiety in more sensitive students - use them sparingly, as an optional or fun element.
Integration of external platforms (e.g. JigsawPlanet) into LIVRESQ networks
One of the great advantages of the LIVRESQ platform is the possibility to integrate external content via embed (iFrame). This means that we can bring games and web applications from outside the platform into our lessons, further increasing interactivity. The integration of such external elements has proven to be very beneficial: it gives students a more diverse experience, captures their attention and always brings something new to the lesson. Let's look at a concrete example: JigsawPlanet.
JigsawPlanet (https://www.jigsawplanet.com/) is a free website where we can create digital jigsaw puzzles jigsaw (picture jigsaw puzzle) and where there is a plethora of puzzles shared by the community. How can it be used in the classroom? Simple: to reinforce knowledge in a playful way. For example, in a geography lesson, you can create a map of Europe puzzle on JigsawPlanet - students have to reassemble the map, thus visually repeating the position of the countries. Or in math, you could put a picture of an operation to be performed, cut into pieces - the pupil sees the pieces jumbled up and as they put them back together, they discover the exercise and have to solve it.
Integration in LIVRESQ: Once you have created a puzzle on JigsawPlanet (or chosen an existing one), the site offers a Embed. You will get an HTML code (an iframe) that you can copy. In the LIVRESQ editing interface, there is a Embed elementwhere you can insert this code. Once saved, the puzzle will appear directly on the lesson page and the student can solve it without leaving the lesson. The lesson thus becomes all-in-one: combining theory with practical play. Integrating these external applications (such as puzzles, simulations or even educational mini-games) into the LIVRESQ platform can significantly improve the quality and efficiency of online courses, leading to better learning outcomes.
Other useful external platforms that can be similarly integrated:
- LearningApps.org - collection of interactive exercises (crosswords, pairs, quizzes, educational games) that can be integrated. For example, a foreign language vocabulary matching game or a virtual league table.
- GeoGebra - for math and science, you can integrate interactive GeoGebra aplets (the graph of a function on which the student can manipulate parameters, for example).
The examples demonstrate how, by combining the power of the LIVRESQ platform with open educational resources and web applications, we can create Open Educational Resources interactive and gamified to keep students interested. Students of the digital generation are used to technology and react positively to variety and novelty, so integrating games and external tools will pleasantly surprise them and provide a familiar learning environment.
Gamification for different educational levels
An important point to emphasize is that gamification can be applied to all educational levels - from primary school, through middle school, high school and even adult education. The key is to adapt the style of play and content to the age and interests of the audience:
Primary education
Young learners respond very well to visuals and stories. For primary grades, gamification can include funny characters, hero stories, bright colors and immediate rewards. For example, a second-grade math lesson could be gamified as "Tweety's Adventures in Number Land," where each exercise solved correctly helps Tweety move forward. Simple puzzles, memory games, interactive songs are ideal. Platforms such as JigsawPlanet, mentioned above, have templates suitable for toddlers too (pictures to match, simple words to guess, etc.) The important thing is that the instructions are clear and the games are not too complex, so as not to frustrate them.
Secondary school (classes V-VIII)
Pre-teens enjoy competition and more complex challenges. For them, we can use general knowledge quizzes against time, multi-step quests (e.g. in biology: "mission to save the ecosystem" with steps about the food chain, classification of species, etc.) or gamified projects (creating your own set of questions for peers - the student becomes game master for a round). At this age, elements such as peer ranking can be introduced, as many are already competitive. However, it is good to keep a balance - competition should be friendly and encouraging. Integrating exercises from platforms such as LearningApps will certainly appeal to them, as many are already familiar with them.
High School
Teenagers can benefit from gamification, although the approach needs to be a bit more subtle and relevant to real life. At this level, gamification can take the form of interactive simulations and case studies. For example, in economics, a simulation game in which students manage a fictitious budget; in history, a role-play in which students make decisions as leaders in a particular historical period and see the consequences. The LIVRESQ platform can be used to build such scenarios (using branching, videos and text). It can also create virtual escape rooms Educational: a series of puzzles and riddles that students have to solve to 'escape' - very popular with high school students. The important thing is to get them thinking critically and to show the relevance of their knowledge: a well-designed game at this age shows how what they are learning is applied in practice.
Regardless of age, gamification does not mean just playing, ci o pedagogical strategy which you can use in Open Educational Resources. The ultimate goal remains learning; the game is the vehicle. By correctly tailoring the language, difficulty level and theme of games to the target audience, gamification can be effective at any level. The teacher remains the shadow architect who builds the experience - he becomes a kind of educational 'game designer', and this is a new dimension of the teaching role in the 21st century.
For teachers and trainers, the challenge is to start small: adding a gamified element to a lesson and observing students' reactions. The feedback will usually be immediate and positive. They can then gradually expand gamification into more modules. The LIVRESQ platform offers the freedom to experiment with these ideas in a safe and controlled environment.
Gamification of online lessons, including on platforms such as LIVRESQ, is an innovative way to increase the quality of digital education. By combining theory with games, teachers and trainers can create a learning environment attractive, interactive and effective. We discussed what gamification means and why it's useful, then explored practical examples - from quizzes and interactive scenarios, to integrating JigsawPlanet puzzles and other web apps into lessons. The benefits can be seen in students' attitudes: more enthusiasm, increased participation, better knowledge retention and a positive educational experience.
ÎLearning through play is not just for fun, but also for performance,
and the combination of pedagogy and play can pave the way for a modern and engaging education for future generations.
Română 
English 
Deutsch 