April 27, 2025
Gamification Is the Secret Weapon of Remote Learning
Case Study with Carolyn Siccama, Ed.D.
One piece of advice from Dr. Siccama to fellow Yellowdig instructors:
"Be willing to reconsider your notions of online interaction."
Carolyn Siccama, Ed.D.
The University of Vermont Instructional Designer
How Dr. Siccama Uses Yellowdig:
Between Summer 2018 and Summer 2019, Dr. Carolyn Siccama integrated Yellowdig into 7 online graduate courses, 5 online undergraduate courses, and 1 professional certificate course at the University of Vermont. Courses ranged in duration from 15 days to 15 weeks. She provided guidance on point settings and content strategy and collaborated with faculty as they reconceptualized their notions of online interaction and engagement.
Dr. Siccama implemented a wide variety of point settings. Out of 13 Communities, she enabled points for Reactions (formerly “Upvotes”) in 8 Communities; points for Accolades (formerly “Badges”) in 11 Communities; and points for receiving Comments on Posts (formerly “Pins”) in 12 Communities. The point value of Comments relative to Posts also varied from Community to Community. (See scatterplot.) Her average point settings are displayed below.
Points for Comment
6.15
Word Req. for Pin
66.54
Word Req. for Comment
35.38
Points for Badge
7.31
Points for Upvote
0.62
Points for Getting
Comment on Pin
3.38
100% Participation Target
283.46
Weekly Max
40.77
Posts per Student
23.84
Comment to Pin Ratio
2.75
Proportional Participation
6.15
Points for Comment
6.15
Word Req. for Pin
66.54
Word Req. for Comment
35.38
Points for Badge
7.31
Points for Upvote
0.62
Points for Getting
Comment on Pin
3.38
100% Participation Target
283.46
Weekly Max
40.77
Posts per Student
23.84
Comment to Pin Ratio
2.75
Proportional Participation
6.15
Dr. Siccama’s Results:
On average, students in Communities designed and supported by Dr. Siccama created 24 Posts and Comments and exceeded the 100% participation goal by 65%. The average Conversation Ratio was 2.75, though the Conversation Ratio varied significantly across Dr. Siccama’s Communities. Some of this variation is predicted by the relative point value of Comments versus Posts, or the Comment:
Pin Point Value = (point value per Comment word / point value per Post word).
While not statistically significant by conventional standards (p=0.17), there was a moderate positive correlation between Comment:Pin Point Value and Conversation Ratio (r=0.40). In other words, when Dr. Siccama increased the point value of Comments relative to Posts, students tended to have more sustained conversations.
About Dr. Siccama:
Dr. Siccama is an Instructional Designer at the University of Vermont, where she teaches online nutrition courses and helps lead faculty development for effective online teaching. She holds degrees in dietetics, nutrition education, and education.
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