Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Russ Bauer

Ever since Deterding termed the phrase gamification in 2011 there has been considerable research into "the use of game design elements in non-game contexts" (Deterding, Dixon et al. 2011). This could refer to the Mathematics teacher who keeps a league table of those students with the most correct answers, or the English teacher who rewards students with ten points for every chapter that is summarised. Clearly, the concept of gamification predates the research by decades if not centuries, with the notion of using incentivised rewards to increase or improve productivity not being confined to the last ten years. 

Gamification has crossed over into many professional work domains from business to construction and even the health industry, but it is in education that its applications are considered particularly valuable, given that teachers can use "game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems" (Kapp 2012). While numerous studies since 2011 have been conducted into the concept of gamification, there is little research that can offer educators advice on how to approach the design of an original board game for the classroom that is educationally valid and based on existing principles of quality teaching and learning. 

The aim of this research is to mine the relatively limited number of articles pertaining to the design and implementation of original educational board games, extracting a set of design principles that could then be matched against those principles deemed most important within Australian educational frameworks.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.