Non-Degree / Dates: 23-27 January 2023

Gamification is a process that helps you create interesting, interactive and fun content from the mundane by adding game-inspired elements. The best part about gamification is that it can be applied to many aspects in life, the fields of business, marketing and education being just a few examples.

This Tallinn Winter School course is about designing a gamified product or service. Adding game elements to your content gives you a chance to widen your engagement and attract a wider audience. The TWS Gamification Workshop explores the concept of gamification through real-life examples, and then gives participants the opportunity to work in a team to develop their own working prototype. Teams will develop their own projects from an idea through design to working prototype. Topics covered during this course:

– Introducing participants
– The nature of gamification and gamification design process
– Examples of gamification
– Generating and selecting ideas for gamification.
– Forming teams and dividing roles
– Designing challenges
– Designing intrinsic motivators
– Designing extrinsic motivators
– Design of feedback and progress
– Incorporation of entertaining elements
– Other game elements
– Prototype development
– Prototype presentation and testing

Why take this online course?

  • The knowledge on using game-design elements and game principles is useful in many fields, including business, marketing, education etc.

  • You get to develop your idea into a working prototype.

Timetable

The course will take place online using the Canvas Learning Management System and combines live video conferencing with pre-recorded video lectures, as well as individual and group work. Each day will be structured as follows:

10:00–11:30 Live online session (discussion and feedback)
12:00–13:30 Individual work (instructional videos and quiz)
14:00–17:00 Creative session (working in teams)
After 17:00 Feedback session (written comments given by the teachers, participants do not have to be online)

Time Zone:  UTC/GMT +2 hours (Check the time difference to your location)

Topics for online sessions:
Mo – Ice-breaking
Tu – Presenting ideas
We – Questions about the Technology (Sigma / Fungus-Unity)
Th – Design related issues
Fr – Presentation of prototypes

Please make sure you have a stable and reliable Internet connection, as well as access to a microphone so you can participate in the video conferencing sessions (a web camera is also recommended).

Teacher(s)

Digital Learning Games master’s programme teachers and students.

The course leader Associate Professor Martin Sillaots is teaching Game Design, Computer Graphic and Research Methods in Tallinn University. He is a partner of serious games projects like: SELEAG, siLang, EcoHouse, Change Management and member of Network of Serious Games – SEGAN. He is a co-founder of the Gamrilla game startup.

David Upshall graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a degree in psychology and spent four years as an educator. Recently he has worked as a learning games evaluator for Education Alliance Finland and as a freelance graphic designer. David is currently on the Digital Learning Games Master’s degree programme, specialising in interaction design and writing his thesis on gamification.

Peadar Callaghan, MA is Chief Executive Officer at Integrated Game Solutions. He graduated from the University of Limerick with an MA in English Language Teaching. Peadar has worked as an educator in a number of countries from South Korea to Saudi Arabia. He has employed games and gamification in much of his work and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Digital Learning Games at Tallinn University.

Participants

This course is suitable for all people who are interested in adding game elements in to nongame environment.

Credit points

Upon full participation and completion of course work students will be awarded 2 ECTS points and a certificate of completion.

Course fee

300 EUR / 250€ for students

Testimonials from Virtual Tallinn Summer School: