DO POINTS MATTER? THE EFFECTS OF GAMIFICATION ACTIVITIES WITH AND WITHOUT POINTS ON STUDENT LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT

Instructor use of online gamification techniques using platforms such as Kahoot has been increasing in recent years. Prior research has found that the use of gamification can increase student engagement in a class and improve student performance on exams compared to traditional lectures and flipped classes. This paper examines the specific effect of gamification using points versus polls through the use of two different modes on Kahoot, which is an area that has been largely unexplored. The results of a semester-long study show that the point-based gamification of quiz mode leads to higher levels of reported student engagement when compared to traditional lecture, but no difference between point-based gamification and gamification that is poll-based. However, point-based gamification that rewards fast responses led to poorer learning outcomes in general when compared to the poll-based gamification condition; this effect was ever larger when measured one week after the use of the gamification technique.