Creating a gamified learning environment for a secondary elective course to increase student engagement and improve student mental health

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a myriad of impacts and consequences for secondary school education resulting in, among other things, decreased student engagement and increased issues related to student mental health. The issues of student engagement and mental health are not borne solely from the pandemic however, and teachers have long been seeking ways to address these issues as our traditional educational paradigms lag behind in their ability to combat these problems. This Process Paper and accompanying Major Project seek to address these issues through the Critical Challenge Question, “How can gamified design increase student engagement to support improvements in mental health in secondary fine arts courses?” Photoshop Gamified is a sample gamified secondary elective course designed to introduce teachers to the principles and practice of gamification in secondary education through a research and evidence-based approach to course design and delivery. This sample gamified course utilizes the Google Suite for Education Learning Management System through the use of Google Sites, Docs, and Classroom and is intended for use in both face-to-face and blended learning environments.