Points Report – Tip 3

December 15, 2025

Points Report - Tip 3

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

Set Clear Expectations: Let students know how points are earned and celebrate thoughtful interaction, not just frequency.
Offer Meaningful Feedback: Use accolades and comments to highlight particularly insightful posts.
Encourage Creativity: Remind students they can use links, visuals, or even short videos to make their posts stand out.
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.

For purposes of research, monitoring, and posterity, we supply Community- and Member-level CSVs containing over 125 combined columns of data. Using these CSVs, researchers can precisely measure how many Posts and Comments students are viewing, how many hyperlinks students have clicked, how many students have been at-mentioned, how many videos have been shared, and so on.

We encourage researchers to use these CSVs to perform independent efficacy studies. We also encourage those with coding experience to import these CSVs (along with the data dictionaries in this article) into Python or R for supplementary data manipulation and visualization. If your findings are interesting, surprising, and/or particularly robust, let’s talk! We pride ourselves on our evidence-based, empirically-informed digital pedagogy, and we’re keen to recalibrate our recommendations in light of new data. Do reach out at clientsuccess@yellowdig.com.

Points Report

To download a detailed log of each Community Member’s activities (e.g., Posting, Commenting, Reactions received/given, etc.), select Data — Reports — Points Report (from the left navigation pane) and click the Download Detailed Points Log button. To download a basic report with each student’s total Yellowdig points and Participation Grade, click the Download Points Summary button.

💡Client Success Tip

Suppose you are unable to configure grade passback for your Learning Management System. In that case, you may be able to upload the Overview Points Report (which can be generated by clicking the “Download Points Summary” button) to your LMS gradebook at the end of the term. This will allow you to post students’ Yellowdig grades to your gradebook with minimal manual effort.

In addition, you can see detailed logs of each student’s activities by clicking the Show Log button. Finally, you can manually add or subtract points to a single student or all at a time by selecting them and clicking the +/- Adjust Points button as depicted in the screenshot below.

Note: Points can also be awarded/deducted for a particular past date regardless of the current grading period. Points attributed to the past date will be counted in excess of the weekly point max.

Data Dictionary (for Overview Points Report)

overview_point_report_dict = {

‘user/username’: ‘Username of member’,

‘user/firstname’: ‘First name of member’,

‘user/lastname’: ‘Last name of member’,

‘user/primary-email’: ‘Primary email address of member’,

‘Total Points Earned’: ‘Cumulative Yellowdig point total. Can exceed Total Point Goal for Community.’,

‘Participation Grade’: ‘Current Yellowdig grade of member (as percentage). Cannot exceed 100%.’

}

Member Report

To produce a Member Report for your Community, select Data — Reports (from the left navigation pane). Go to Member Report and select CLICK HERE TO GENERATE REPORT. Use the arrow keys to move left and right across the table. Click on the column names to sort by column. To export the Member Report to CSV, select CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AS CSV.

CSV contains one row for each Community Member, 35 columns, and counting.

Screenshot depicting Member Report tab

Data Dictionary

member_dict = {

‘user_id’: ‘unique Yellowdig user identifier; appears only in URL’,

‘user_username’: ‘unique Yellowdig user identifier; surfaced to end-user in platform’,

‘user_first_name’: ‘first name’,

‘user_last_name’: ‘last name’,

‘user_email’: ‘primary email address’,

‘community_role’: {‘instructor’: ‘created Community’, ‘facilitator’: ‘admin, not creator’, ‘student’: ‘member, not admin or creator’},

‘total_number_of_logins’: ‘number of LTI launches into Community’,

‘total_number_of_friends_followed’: ‘number of Members of this Community that this Community Member follows’,

‘total_number_of_friend_followers’: ‘number of Members of this Community that follow this Community Member’,

‘total_number_of_student_friends_followed’: ‘number of student Members of this Community that this Community Member follows’,

‘total_number_of_student_friend_followers’: ‘number of student Members of this Community that follow this Community Member’,

‘total_number_of_posts’: ‘number of posts authored’,

‘total_number_of_comments_given’: ‘number of comments authored’,

‘total_number_of_comments_received’: ‘number of comments received from other Community Members on posts authored’,

‘total_number_of_posts_with_accolades’: ‘number of posts authored that received at least one accolade’,

‘total_number_of_comments_with_accolades’: ‘number of comments authored that received at least one accolade’,

‘total_number_of_posts_with_reactions’: ‘number of posts authored that received at least one reaction’,

‘total_number_of_comments_with_reactions’: ‘number of comments authored that received at least one reaction’,

‘total_number_of_orphan_posts’: ‘number of posts authored that received no comments’,

‘total_number_of_at_mentions_given’: ‘number of times user @mentioned another Community Member; multiple @mentions to the same Member in the same post or comment count as just one @mention’,

‘total_number_of_at_mentions_received’:’number of times user was @mentioned by another Community Member; multiple @mentions from the same Member in the same post or comment count as just one @mention’,

‘total_number_of_instructor_post_reads’: ‘number of posts authored by Community Owner or Facilitator that user marked as read’,

‘total_number_of_student_post_reads’: ‘number of posts authored by student Member that user marked as read’,

‘total_number_of_instructor_post_views’: ‘number of posts authored by Community Owner or Facilitator that user viewed’,

‘total_number_of_student_post_views’: ‘number of posts authored by student Member that user viewed’,

‘total_number_of_hyperlinks_shared’: ‘number of hyperlinks shared in posts and comments’,

‘total_number_of_hyperlink_clicks’: ‘number of hyperlinks shared in posts and comments that user clicked; multiple clicks on the same hyperlink count as only one click’,

‘total_number_of_images_shared’: ‘number of images uploaded’,

‘total_number_of_drawings_shared’: ‘number of drawings created via Draw tool’,

‘total_number_of_videos_shared’: ‘number of videos uploaded or captured inside platform’,

‘total_post_word_count’: ‘total number of words in authored posts’,

‘total_comment_word_count’: ‘total number of words in authored comments’,

‘total_number_of_deleted_posts’: ‘total number of authored posts that have been deleted’,

‘total_number_of_deleted_comments’: ‘total number of authored comments that have been deleted’,

‘lti_grade’: ‘grade most recently passed back to LMS’

}

Community Report

To produce a Community Report for your Community, select Data — Reports (from the left navigation pane). Go to Community Report and select CLICK HERE TO GENERATE REPORT. Use the arrow keys to move left and right across the table. Click on the column names to sort by column. To export the Community Report to CSV, select CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AS CSV.

CSV contains one row of aggregated values for the entire Community. 89 columns and counting.

Screenshot depicting Community Report tab

Data Dictionary

community_dict = {

‘board_id’: ‘unique Community identifier’,

‘board_title’: ‘Community title’,

‘board_owner_username’: ‘username of Community Owner’,

‘board_owner_first_name’: ‘first name of Community Owner’,

‘board_owner_last_name’: ‘last name of Community Owner’,

‘board_owner_email’: ‘primary email of Community Owner’,

‘network_name’: ‘name of Network that directly contains Community; inferable from Community URL’,

‘network_title’: ‘title of Network that directly contains Community’,

‘network_owner_username’: ‘username of Owner of Network that directly contains Community’,

‘network_owner_first_name’: ‘first name of Owner of Network that directly contains Community’,

‘network_owner_last_name’: ‘last name of Owner of Network that directly contains Community’,

‘network_owner_email’: ‘primary email of Owner of Network that directly contains Community’,

‘board_creation_date’: ‘date at which Community was created’,

‘service_url_creation_date’: ‘date at which current grade passback connection was established for this Community’,

‘is_template’: ‘whether Community is defined as a template (boolean)’,

‘discoverable’: ‘whether Community is set to discoverable (boolean)’,

‘permission_level’: ‘whether Community is set to public or private’,

‘number_of_groups’: ‘number of groups in Community, if groups are enabled’,

‘grading_enabled’: ‘whether points are enabled in Community (boolean)’,

‘lti_id’: ‘unique LMS course identifier’,

‘service_url’: ‘URL that defines grade passback connection between a Community and an LMS’,

‘total_number_of_facilitators’: ‘total number of non-owner Community admins’,

‘total_number_of_student_members’: ‘total number of non-admin Community Members’,

‘total_number_of_logins’: ‘total number of LTI launches into Community’,

‘total_number_of_student_logins’: ‘total number of LTI launches into Community from student Members’,

‘total_number_of_posts’: ‘total number of posts (def. top-level non-comment content) in Community’,

‘total_number_of_student_posts’: ‘total number of posts authored by students in Community’,

‘total_number_of_comments’: ‘total number of comments (def. comments on posts and replies to comments on posts) in Community’,

‘total_number_of_student_comments’: ‘total number of comments authored by students in Community’,

‘total_number_of_posts_with_accolades’: ‘total number of posts that received accolades from Community admins’,

‘total_number_of_student_posts_with_accolades’: ‘total number of posts authored by student Members that received accolades from Community admins’,

‘total_number_of_comments_with_accolades’: ‘total number of comments that received accolades from Community admins’,

‘total_number_of_student_comments_with_accolades’: ‘total number of comments authored by student Members that received accolades from Community admins’,

‘total_number_of_posts_with_reactions’: ‘total number of posts that received reactions’,

‘total_number_of_student_posts_with_reactions’: ‘total number of post authored by student Members that received reactions’,

‘total_number_of_comments_with_reactions’: ‘total number of comments that received reactions’,

‘total_number_of_student_comments_with_reactions’: ‘total number of comments authored by student Members that received reactions’,

‘total_number_of_orphan_posts’: ‘total number of posts with no comments’,

‘total_number_of_student_orphan_posts’: ‘total number of posts authored by student Members with no comments’,

‘total_number_of_at_mentions’: ‘total number of @mentions; if one post or comment contains multiple @mentions of the same Community Member, those @mentions count as only one @mention’,

‘total_number_of_students_mentioned_by_students’: ‘total number of student Members @mentioned by other student Members; if one post or comment contains multiple @mentions of the same Community Member, those @mentions count as only one @mention’,

‘total_number_of_hyperlinks’: ‘total number of hyperlinks shared in posts or comments’,

‘total_number_of_student_hyperlinks’: ‘total number of hyperlinks shared in student-authored posts or comments’,

‘total_number_of_hyperlink_clicks’: ‘total number of clicks on hyperlinks; multiple clicks from the same Member on the same hyperlink count as only one click’,

‘total_number_of_student_hyperlink_clicks’: ‘total number of clicks from student Members on hyperlinks shared by any Community Member; multiple clicks from the same student Member on the same hyperlink count as only one click’,

‘total_number_of_post_reads’: ‘total number of read marks on posts’,

‘total_number_of_instructor_post_student_reads’: ‘total number of read marks from student Members on posts authored by admin Members’,

‘total_number_of_student_post_student_reads’: ‘total number of read marks from student Members on posts authored by student Members’,

‘total_number_of_post_views’: ‘total number of views of posts’,

‘total_number_of_instructor_post_student_views’: ‘total number of views from student Members on posts authored by admin Members’,

‘total_number_of_student_post_student_views’: ‘total number of views from student Members on posts authored by student Members’,

‘total_number_of_images’: ‘total number of images uploaded’,

‘total_number_of_drawings’: ‘total number of drawings created via Draw tool’,

‘total_number_of_videos’: ‘total number of videos uploaded or captured in platform’,

‘total_number_of_student_images’: ‘total number of images uploaded by student Members’,

‘total_number_of_student_drawings’: ‘total number of drawings created by student Members via Draw tool’,

‘total_number_of_student_videos’: ‘total number of videos uploaded or captured in platform by student Members’,

‘total_post_word_count’: ‘total number of words in posts’,

‘total_student_post_word_count’: ‘total number of words in posts authored by students’,

‘total_comment_word_count’: ‘total number of words in comments’,

‘total_student_comment_word_count’: ‘total number of words in comments authored by students’,

‘total_number_of_deleted_posts’: ‘total number of posts deleted from Community’,

‘total_number_of_deleted_student_posts’: ‘total number of posts deleted from Community that were authored by student Members’,

‘total_number_of_deleted_comments’: ‘total number of comments deleted from Community’,

‘total_number_of_deleted_student_comments’: ‘total number of comments deleted from Community that were authored by student Members’,

‘grading_period_start_date’: ‘date at which Community Members started (or will start) accumulating points’,

‘grading_period_end_date’: ‘date at which Community Members stopped (or will stop) accumulating points’,

‘last_post_or_comment_date’: ‘most recent date at which any Community Member created a post or comment’,

‘total_number_of_weeks’: ‘total number of grading periods (i.e. weeks) in Community’,

‘current_week’: ‘current grading period as integer (by chronological ranking) if current date is later than grading_period_start_date and earlier than grading_period_end_date’,

‘weekly_reset_day’: ‘periodic rollover day’,

‘weekly_reset_hour’: ‘periodic rollover hour’,

‘weekly_max’: ‘periodic target + periodic buffer’,

‘100%_participation_target’: ‘periodic target × total number of grading periods’,

‘proportion_of_community_inactive’: ‘(grading_period_end_date – last_post_or_comment_date) / (grading_period_end_date – grading_period_start_date). If 0, community was never active. If 1, community was always active.’,

‘point_value_for_posts’: ‘number of points awarded to qualifying posts’,

‘minimum_word_requirement_for_posts’: ‘minimum number of words required to earn points on a post’,

‘point_value_for_comments’: ‘number of points awarded to qualifying comments’,

‘minimum_word_requirement_for_comments’: ‘minimum number of words required to earn points on a comment’,

‘avg_point_value_for_accolades’: ‘average of point values assigned to accolades’,

‘number_of_different_accolades’: ‘number of accolades available in Community’,

‘point_value_for_receiving_generic_reaction’: ‘number of points awarded for receiving emoji reactions (with no special point values explicitly defined)’,

‘avg_point_value_for_receiving_specific_reaction’: ‘average number of points awarded for receiving specific emoji reactions (where special point values have been explicitly defined)’,

‘number_of_different_specific_reaction_point_values’: ‘number of emoji reactions for which special point values have been explicitly defined’,

‘point_value_for_receiving_comments’: ‘number of points awarded for receiving comments on posts’,

‘student_posts_per_student’: ‘total_number_of_student_posts / total_number_of_student_members’,

‘student_comments_per_student’: ‘total_number_of_student_comments / total_number_of_student_members’,

‘student_comments_per_total_post’: ‘total_number_of_student_comments / total_number_of_posts’,

‘student_conversation_ratio’: ‘total_number_of_student_comments / total_number_of_student_posts’

}

Audience: This help article is for Instructors, Designers, and Administrators. Students or Learners cannot access these settings.

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