November 30, 2020

Learning from the YAAC

Unlocking Student Motivation with Gameful Learning

Instructors everywhere face the same uphill climb: getting students to participate meaningfully—especially in online classes. Despite your best efforts, traditional discussion forums can feel more like boxes to check than places for real learning. What’s the antidote? For many educators, the answer is gameful learning.

What is Gameful Learning?

Gameful learning isn’t about turning your classroom into an arcade. It’s about applying the elements of games—clear goals, meaningful choice, and immediate feedback—to academic environments. Platforms like Yellowdig use points, badges, and accolades to recognize real contributions, making participation feel rewarding, not obligatory.

Why Gameful Elements Spark Engagement

Why do students respond so well to this approach? Because gameful mechanics tap into motivation in ways that rote assignments can’t. When students earn points for thoughtful posts or insightful replies, they're encouraged to dig deeper and share experiences. A little friendly competition doesn’t hurt, either—leaderboards spark engagement and help shy students ease into participation.

Yellowdig’s Approach: More Than Just Points

Yellowdig’s platform is built around the idea that engagement should be authentic, not forced. Points aren’t given for empty “I agree” comments, but for contributions that spark conversation and critical thinking. Students can curate their posts with articles or videos that interest them and receive recognition when others interact with their content. This approach fosters intrinsic motivation—students participate because they want to, not because they have to.

Real Results in Real Classrooms

Instructors using Yellowdig consistently report stronger participation and deeper discussion. One faculty member noted that “seventy-five percent of student questions get answered by their peers,” freeing up their time to tackle more advanced topics. Students say they look forward to checking new posts, sharing resources, and earning recognition for meaningful contributions.

Tips for Making Gameful Learning Work

  1. Set Clear Expectations: Let students know how points are earned and celebrate thoughtful interaction, not just frequency.
  2. Offer Meaningful Feedback: Use accolades and comments to highlight particularly insightful posts.
  3. Encourage Creativity: Remind students they can use links, visuals, or even short videos to make their posts stand out.
  4. Foster Healthy Competition: Leaderboards and weekly challenges can energize participation and keep momentum going.

The Takeaway

Gameful learning turns participation from a chore into an opportunity for discovery and community. With the right design, recognition, and tools, you’ll see students take more ownership of their learning—unlocking not just better engagement, but genuine excitement for the subject.
Ready to see how gameful learning can transform your course? Try out Yellowdig and join a thriving community that believes learning should be as rewarding as it is rigorous.

Our users are the best source of insights for how to get the most out of Yellowdig. Professors and instructional designers have that real-world, day to day experience using Yellowdig that we rely on to fine tune Yellowdig and create an even better experience for you and your students. That’s why we’ve decided to give some of our most experienced and innovative users a more formal role in plotting the future of Yellowdig.

So we’re excited to announce the formation of the Yellowdig Academic Advisory Council (YAAC)! The YAAC is a small group of hand-picked Yellowdig power users from across our diverse landscape of institutions, from major universities, small colleges, and even the corporate learning space. These learning professionals use Yellowdig in a variety of use cases, from large and small courses, to unique use cases outside of the traditional classroom. With these experiences they will be sharing their feedback and ideas on best practices, Yellowdig features, and new product ideas. They will help us to create a better product, as well as share how to get the most out of that product with the entire Yellowdig community.

Meet this year's group of Academic Advisors who have ample experience using Yellowdig's virtual classroom tools:

  • Vicki Hart, Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine

  • Sean Preuss, Academic Success Manager at Bryan University

  • Tawnya Means, Assistant Dean and Director, Teaching and Learning Center, College of Business at University of Nebraska

  • Michael Dye, Associate Dean of Online Education at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts

  • Linda A., Instructional designer in the department of Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies at Fort Hays State University

  • Adam Pincus, Instructional Designer, Villanova University

  • Andy Alexander, Visiting Professor at Purdue University in the Quantitative Methods Department in the Krannert School of Management

  • Mika LaVaque-Manty, Director of the Honors Program in the College of Literature, Science, and Arts at the University of Michigan and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Political Science

  • Benjamin Plummer, learning experience designer for the University of Michigan Ross School of Business

  • Erin Sicuranza, IT Project Leader in IT-Academic Technology Services at the University of Delaware

  • David Blakesley, Campbell Chair in Technical Communication and Professor of English at Clemson University

  • Lisa Brown, Assistant Director at University of Rochester

  • Diane Miller, Instructor CIS Department – College of Business at Colorado State University

  • Kurt Hayes, Chief Learning Experience Officer at Dignity Health Global Education

We are continuing to expand the YAAC, so this list will continue to evolve and grow. To learn more about our YAAC members, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter where we will be having “Meet the Member Mondays.”.

Bob Ertischek is the Academic Lead at Yellowdig, a U.S. company dedicated to creating communities where social interaction and learning build the relationships and skills that allow people to thrive. In this role, he works with partners to share best practices for creating community and meaningful student engagement. Prior to coming to Yellowdig, Bob founded and led Profology, a professional development community for higher education instructors. He also taught political science for over a decade at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. At Rochester Institute of Technology, he served as an instructional technologist/faculty developer where he evaluated educational technology and worked with faculty members to use online tools to increase engagement in their courses.

If you have any questions please reach out to us at learnmore@yellowdig.com.

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