Gamification

For the most part, current education methodologies focus on transferring skills or knowledge from one person to another without much hands-on experience. Incorporating digital tools into learning and training systems, such as Mobile Crowdsensing Platforms, Multi-touch LCD Screen, and XR Glasses, could increase individuals' self-awareness and intentionally strengthen and diversify their learning skills.

By taking the same data-driven approach that game designers use to engage players, gamification can also be applied to non-game experiences to motivate actions and add value to businesses. Although this methodology may sound like a resource for innovation —especially for businesses— gamification is mostly focused on amplifying the effect of an existing, core experience by applying specific techniques to motivate players so that the experience (and therefore the game) becomes engaging.

This methodology allows schools to build a competitive environment around specific policies or objectives by using a computer game-style reference. A cross-device platform could also be integrated into this experience to monitor progress and provide rewards when necessary. Such a resource is particularly popular with target-driven enterprises, although some educators could also use gamification as a means to maintain order in their classrooms.

An Educational Token System

To increase engagement, it is also believed that the granting of rewards is a method of reinforcing gamification. For example, a visual token for achievements, affiliations, authorizations, and other trust relationships could be used as a means to certify educational and training fulfillments across the web, which would represent a specific asset that is covered and thus certified by associated verification organizations. This badge-centric certification system could verify individuals through Blockchain Certificates and empower them for the online or physical/in-person skills they have achieved, with no need for validation from a standard or traditional educational institute.

In addition, while placing the responsibility for the individual's behavior back on them, encouragement and other forms of social approval should go in line with the tokens. Consequently, it would increase overall engagement. By introducing extrinsic rewards such as points and badges, healthy competitions would be promoted because they would only earn points and badges when taking part in certain activities. However, the demand could be variable as the targeted problems may vary according to each individual. In that case, a fixed system would not make sense to implement as different, more dynamic rules would need to be developed in line with the individuality and diversity of each person.

Future Perspectives

Even if encouraging healthy competition may sound as a good strategy to increase efficiency and engagement in education and training environments, a competitive mindset can, conversely, set workmates a part and depreciate solidarity among workers. In a society with gradual devaluing working standards, competition in work environments may itself accelerate this trend. In fact, we could imagine a workplace where automating productivity through gamification and smart apps would enable the autonomous promotion and firing of workers in logistics, warehouses or even white-collar work.

For instance, with the usage of XR Glasses, employees will not only collect visual navigation data but also be surveyed by how well they are inspecting or moving cargo. Using a social score system, supply chain workers can be automatically scored according to their activity, thus being fired if their performance does not meet required standards, such as velocity or accuracy. In order to make warehouse and transportation work less tedious, physical actions, such as assembling orders and moving items, can be turned into virtual gamified moves.