Overcoming the novelty effect in online gamified learning systems: An empirical evaluation of student engagement and performance

• Published in: Journal of computer assisted learning 2020-04, Vol.36 (2), p.128-146
• Main Authors: Tsay, Crystal Han‐Huei, Kofinas, Alexander K., Trivedi, Smita K., Yang, Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: College Students; Computer Games; computer‐based learning system; Control Groups; Education; Familiarity; Game Based Learning; Gamification; Higher Education; Learner Engagement; Learning; meaningful; Novelty (Stimulus Dimension); novelty effect; On-line systems; Pedagogy; Program Effectiveness; Prototyping; Qualitative analysis; student engagement; Student participation; student performance; Students; Systems analysis; Systems design
• ISSN: 0266-4909; 1365-2729
• DOI: 10.1111/jcal.12385

Learners in the higher education context who engage with computer‐based gamified learning systems often experience the novelty effect: a pattern of high activity during the gamified system's introduction followed by a drop in activity a few weeks later, once its novelty has worn off. We applied a two‐tiered motivational, online gamified learning system over 2 years to a total number of 333 students. In a mixed methods research design, we used 3‐year worth of longitudinal data (333 students for the treatment group and 175 in the control group) to assess students' engagement and performance in that period. Quantitative results established that students engaged and performed better in the gamified condition vis‐à‐vis the nongamified. Furthermore, students exhibited higher levels of engagement in the second year compared with the first year of the gamified condition. Our qualitative data suggest that students in the second year of the gamified delivery exhibited sustained engagement, overcoming the novelty effect. Thus, our main contribution is in suggesting ways of making the engagement meaningful and useful for the students, thus sustaining their engagement with computer‐based gamified learning systems and overcoming the novelty effect. Lay Description What is currently known about educational gamification Educational gamification has positive‐leaning but mixed results in student learning outcomes. Educational gamified system design is critiqued for limited formative research, lack of prototyping, and underexplored user characteristics. Although gamified elements attract users on board, once the novelty effect wears off, user engagement falls. What this paper adds A gamified VLE was developed to address several system design critiques. Evaluation of the longitudinal data indicates significant improvements on student engagement and performance and elimination of the novelty effect in computer‐assisted learning systems. A shift from learner extrinsic to intrinsic motivation linked to gamification and pedagogical factors enabled the overcoming of the novelty effect. Implications for practice and/or policy Coherent, meaningful gamification can successfully drive sustained student engagement in VLEs and can help overcome the novelty effect. How engagement is measured affects the understanding of the effectiveness of computer‐assisted learning. Gamification and pedagogical factors need to be used in tandem for an engaged, sustained student learning journey that go