Student engagement and the novelty effect in a technology-mediated gamified course

We investigate the extent to which the use of gamification in blended learning influences student engagement. For the gamified course, Personal and Professional Development, in addition to weekly classroom teaching, students participated in a two-tiered system with online learning activities. Gamification elements were developed online and the intervention continued for two years. Data were collected from two cohorts of 334 students. Results suggested that students engaged more in the gamified course and that the second year intervention led to an increased, deeper engagement. Also, in both years, there was evidence of “novelty effect,” as students’ weekly engagement declined across time. Nevertheless, the pattern of decline did not follow what the literature would suggest. Possible reasons may be the usefulness of learning tasks, clearer expectations, and regular communications. We conclude that gamification is a useful tool for onboarding and engaging students. However, to sustain long-term engagement, course designers need to consider other factors