USING A GAMIFIED COURSE DESIGN IN INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY TO SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS

A gamified course design uses additive grading, gives students flexibility in choosing assignments to complete, allows multiple attempts of assignments, has flexible deadlines, and provides ongoing feedback (Brunvand and Hill, 2019). I designed in-person and online gamified introductory geology courses and evaluated their effectiveness. The components of both modalities of the courses were nearly identical and included quizzes, exams, labs, discussion boards (online) or class participation (in person), and a variety of projects that allowed students to apply knowledge learned and to reflect on their learning. 79 students enrolled in the courses (24 in-person and 55 online; 48 female, 24 male, and 7 no or other response; 36 historically minoritized and 43 White). The gamified course was successful for all groups of students, with 85% of students successfully completing it and little variation by modality and student identity (in terms of gender and race). The average quiz, lab, and exam scores showed little variation between groups, again indicating the success of all students. In addition, students were enthusiastic about the gamified approach, believing that it helped them be successful in the geology course. Overall, the gamified course design helped promote student success equitably.