Grant recipients:
Dan Wolczuk, Dean of Mathematics
Paul McGrath, Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
Brian Ingalls, Department of Applied Mathematics
(Project timeline: January 2020-December 2021)
Description
The goal of this project is to assess the impact of a science fiction themed gamification of first year calculus classes for Science students. Students in the course will attain both individual and team rankings by completing a variety of course elements, some of which will involve assigned marks and some of which will be for practice only. Data will be collected via beginning-of-term and end-of-term perception surveys, regular focus groups, and through analysis of completion rates of both graded and ungraded work.
Although there is a considerable amount of literature on gamification, these studies have typically had small sample sizes and have been short term. This project aims to address this gap in the research by involving a large sample size (approximately 1900 unique students over the two-year study) and would track student perceptions in two courses.