Gamification in the educational field: analysis of the use of gamification in a tourism degree

Abstract

[eng] During the last decade, with the implementation of new technologies, learning systems have changed and educational institutions have had to adapt to the new era. Gamification is one of the techniques that is gradually being introduced in this field to evolve the current educational era. Using gamification tools in the classroom generally motivates students more; however, some teachers are still reluctant to introduce games in their lessons. This study analyses the real usage of gamification by a group of teachers at the Tourism Faculty from the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) identifying how beneficial they believe this technique is for them as teachers and for their students. To conduct this study a questionnaire was administered to these lecturers to see their perspective. The results showed that gamification is well-known, although it is not used by almost a third of teachers surveyed. Regarding the teachers' views on the usefulness of gamification for students, the first outcomes suggest that this technique is not as beneficial for learners as other studies have found. At the end of the study a proposal is included with some ideas about how to implement the gamification technique in some of the subjects of the Degree of Tourism at the UIB.