Gamification of Entrepreneurship Education

ABSTRACT Gamification—the use of gameplay mechanics for nongame applications—enables learning by doing, yet questions abound about its effectiveness for education. This teaching brief reports on the gamification of an entrepreneurship course using a stand‐alone gamification platform integrated with Shopify, a global e‐commerce platform for online stores. Students experienced the entire entrepreneurship process from ideation to launch of a real business and beyond. A live leaderboard allows tracking of team performance and provides a competitive element to the experiential learning. The gamification involved the creation and operation of online ventures by 269 undergraduate students during a trimester‐long undergraduate entrepreneurship course. The assessment of student learning outcomes shows that the gamified approach enhanced students’ experience, engagement, and entrepreneurial self‐efficacy. I conclude with pedagogical observations to assist instructors in implementing a gamified approach.