Gamification in MOOCs - General Overview

It has been 10 years since the first MOOC was prepared by George Siemens and Stephen Downes on connectivism and connected knowledge at the University of Manitoba. From 25 participants only to hundreds of thousands of students in 2011, MOOCs became a hype in technology-enhanced learning context. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of MOOCs has become widely experienced with low completion rates. As a result, It becomes necessary to improve the learning experience of MOOC users using different types of interventions. One of the suggested actions is gamifying learners experience and captivating the MOOC learning environment. In this presentation, we discuss the added value of employing gamification, the context that can fit in MOOC environment, as well as list the most popular gamification elements that enhance student engagement and motivation