Online learning
Does fantasy keep online gamified classes engaging?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Adding a fantasy narrative to a gamified online course helped sustain engagement after novelty wore off.
Key findings
In Study 1, most students preferred gamification to lecture-based courses, yet forum posts and quiz attempts dropped sharply after mid-semester as novelty faded. Study 2 suggested the fantasy-enhanced model better supported learning performance and online social interaction than the original model.
Methodology
Using design-based research in the same postgraduate online course across two semesters, the authors first implemented a GAFCC gamification model, then refined it by adding fantasy (GAFCC-F). They tracked learning performance, forum interaction, and student/teacher perceptions over ten-week semesters.
Limitations
Samples were small postgraduate cohorts in one course, so causal generalisation is limited. Semester-to-semester comparisons are not fully randomised experiments, and long-term transfer beyond the course was not measured.
How this study connects
Role on claims
Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.
Gamified online courses can attract preference yet still lose forum posts and quiz attempts after novelty fades unless design features (such as fantasy narrative) help sustain participation.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
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