Table Of Content
Game On!
Tech. e du
A Hopkins Series on Education and Technology
Game On!
Gamification, Gameful Design, and the
Rise of the Gamer Educator
Kevin Bell
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS BALTIMORE
© 2018 Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. Published 2018
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca on acid- free paper
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Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Mary land 21218 - 4363
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Bell, Kevin, 1968– author.
Title: Game on! : gamification, gameful design, and the rise of the
gamer educator / Kevin Bell.
Description: Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017. | Series:
Tech .e du : a Hopkins series on education and technology | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017009944 | ISBN 9781421423968
(hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 1421423960 (hardcover : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781421423975 (electronic) | ISBN 1421423979 (electronic)
Subjects: LCSH: Education, Higher— Effect of technological
innovations on. | Education, Higher— Computer- assisted
instruction. | Internet in higher education. | Gamification. |
Computer games. | Educational games. | BISAC: EDUCATION /
Higher. | GAMES / Video & Electronic. | EDUCATION /
Computers & Technology.
Classification: LCC LB2395.7 .B45 20107 | DDC 378.1/7344678— dc23
LC rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2017009944
A cata log rec ord for this book is available from the British Library.
Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more
information, please contact Special Sales at 410-5 16-6 936 or
specialsales@press . jhu . edu .
Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book
materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least
30 percent post- consumer waste, whenever pos si ble.
Calling out one person in no way diminishes my appreciation of
the large number of people who have supported and encouraged
me through the production of this work. However, I dedicate it
officially to my dad, Michael Bell, who taught in some pretty rough
inner- city schools in the UK, motivating students that others had
given up on. Contextualizing through his loves of lit er a ture, music,
and (proper) football, he gamified spelling tests in the 1970s with
leaderboards, promotions, and relegations, intrinsically motivating
kids steeped in the highs and lows of supporting Newcastle
United— the greatest team in the history of all sports ever.
Dad claims to understand next to nothing of my writings yet
embodies the spirit and princip le of the very best educators: those
who inspire and change lives. Thanks fatha.
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Contents
Acknowl edgments ix
Prologue. Ashton to Apple — The Breakout Year 1
1 A Societal Imperative: The Impetus for Online Education 5
2 How Did We Get Here? The Maturation of Online Education 20
3 The Fairy Tale MOOC 44
4 The Hero’s Journey 71
5 Ethical Decision Making 94
6 Dungeons and Discourse 111
7 Threat of Crime and Terrorism 1 31
8 Assessing Gamification: Conclusions and Implications 150
9 Catching Fire: The Model That Burned Brightest 168
Captain’s Epilogue 183
Bibliography 189
Index 197
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Acknowledgments
As is traditional, way too many p eople to list h ere, but I’ll give it a go.
Two p eople went beyond the call of duty or friendship to help me with
this work.
My dissertation chair, Dr. Laura Perna, provided unreasonably prompt and
helpful feedback on the executive doctorate program at the University of Penn-
sylvania. A gamefully designed, intrinsically motivating goal of mine was to
get my work to a level where I would get feedback on a draft with fewer than
100 comments, tweaks, or suggestions from her. It never happened. Even
from Kazakhstan when technically offline, she spent precious time bringing
her l aser focus to bear, sending me significant (as in p- value less than 0.05,
causing me to reject the null hypothesis) support. Thank you, Laura.
Robert Rosenbalm, b ecause of geeky interest in the subject area and by be-
ing what I would simply call a great bloke, tirelessly and again, punctually,
reviewed chapter drafts with an editor’s eye, a pedant’s accuracy, and a friend’s
sensitivity. His mantra for this work and the changes that were happening in
my life at the time— “You got this”— became my comfort blanket, my mulli-
gan, and/or my incentive to keep going. Thank you, Robert.
The book would be nothing without the input and reflections of the prac-
ti tion ers whose work and energy drove the cases. Massive thanks to some of
the most inspiring and generous educators I have ever met— Drs. Neil Niman,
Kevin Yee, and Gerol Petruzella and Fred Aebli and Greg Andres; I hope your
work, even to a small degree via this book, gets you the recognition and unlim-
ited quarters you all deserve.
I mention my dad, Michael Bell, in the dedication, and again here, for the
balance and background he and my mum, Jean, provided: raising my brother
and me with a blend of culture, academia, sport, m usic, love of reading, and
a carefree, insulated start to our lives. Thank you both so much.
A shout- out to Cohort 12 at Penn, a supremely talented and intelligent
group. Swimming in that gene pool was exhilarating, made more so by the
unequivocal support, humo(u)r, empathy, and friendship provided along the
way— many thanks and egészségére.
