Playing The Game: how leaderboards can aid education

Do you think of yourself as a competitive person? Whether you’re ultra-competitive or happier just taking part, the truth is that humans are naturally inclined to enjoy a bit of competition. Competition (with one another and with other things on the planet) was clearly very useful in helping early humans survive, and we’ve held onto it. Behind every heated game of Monopoly, every egg-and-spoon race, every track on Mario-Kart, lies the unstoppable tide of evolution.

So, we’re all accustomed to like a bit of competition. So what?

More recently, gamification (creating experiences like those found in games, for non-game contexts) has increasingly been applied to help make studying and revision easier. Think of Kahoot, where knowledge is tested via interactive quizzes – the 3 highest scores in a class are rewarded with their names on a podium at the end of the game.

Behind every heated game of Monopoly, every egg-and-spoon race, every track on Mario-Kart, lies the unstoppable tide of evolution.

Or Quizlet, where users can ‘complete’, or match up, different sets of flashcards. By gamifying aspects of the revision or memorisation process, these apps have had strikingly positive results on student outcomes – how?

They are interactive

They encourage persistent effort

• Leaderboards and points encourage us to work harder and reward regular effort – this keeps us coming back!

They can offer inspiration

• You can easily see how far you’ve already improved, which can inspire you to keep improving.
• Leaderboards can offer positive examples to take inspiration and learn from.

Leaderboards

Other types of gamification include badges and leaderboards. StudyStream, our online study platform, includes for users the option to earn badges for using the focus rooms – you start as a Novice, before becoming a Regular, and then (if you really work for it) a Scholar or Academic! There is also a new leaderboard ranking the top ten users in any given week, according to how many minutes they used focus rooms in a given week. Real prizes are given to the winners every week.

The leaderboards harness all the benefits above – they allow interactive engagement with the study rooms and encourage users to keep coming back to study and keep track of their results. Most importantly, the leaderboard can offer inspiration and an incentive.

Potential issues with leaderboards

The aim should be to keep the inspiring, positive elements of a leaderboard, without designing it in a way that demotivates or pressurises less regular users.

Some studies found that leaderboards which ranked everyone, including the lowest scores, could actually demotivate those who didn’t do so well – StudyStream’s top ten avoids this outcome because everyone can choose whether to participate or not. By only naming the top ten users, the vast majority of users will not have their performances publicised.

On the flip side, by limiting who appears on the leaderboard, appearing in the top 10 becomes an achievement itself, and this may inspire and incentivise other users to reach it! The aim should be to keep the inspiring, positive elements of a leaderboard, without designing it in a way that demotivates or pressurises less regular users.

Conclusions

Gamification can be a hugely useful way of helping people study, and has been proven successful time and again, especially with revision apps like Kahoot and Quizlet. Adding an element of competition (including ones that encourage users to compete with their own previous efforts) can make studying more engaging and encourage us to revisit material – an important factor in successful revision.

At the same time, leaderboards are not always the right thing for everyone, and it’s important to acknowledge that everyone is different, particularly when it comes to studying. Some of us prefer having a less competitive feel to study, and it is also good to emphasise the importance of regular breaks, for example.

StudyStream’s leaderboard is open to all, but in practice completely optional – competitive gamification works best when users can choose whether to participate or not.

The StudyStream Team x

You can find out more about StudyStream and its Focus Rooms by visiting our website!