Source: Image of spreadsheet, Public Domain, http://bit.ly/1CL2Rkl
Hi, my name is Ashlyn. And today's lesson is titled Tracking Gamification Data Using a Spreadsheet. In today's lesson, we will understand how you grade in a gamified classroom. We'll look at exactly how grades are calculated. Then we will define a leaderboard and give some examples. Also, we'll take you to the steps of creating your own spreadsheet and leaderboard for tracking points.
How do you gamify grading? There are three different approaches to grading in the gamified classroom. Lee Sheldon, a professor at Indiana University, eliminated grades and used a point system determined by the number of achievements in order to gamify his course. Students advanced to higher levels of mastery, just like they do in games.
Mr. Matera, a well known gamification classroom expert in teacher, designs a spreadsheet for his students and uses the spreadsheet to track XP points, also known as experience points based on student work, teamwork, and simulations. Rather than using low points usually assigned in school, he uses high point values, as it is more motivating. Points are accumulated and never taken away. Mr. Matera, uses a leader board like which is seen in many video games to make learning visible and to create healthy competition in the classroom.
On tests and quizzes, Mr. Matera uses traditional grading. And to make it even more fun, Mr. Matera allows the students to use gamer tag names, rather than their real names.
Why are grades and XP points separated and Mr. Matera's class? Well, for one, the leaderboard can be public. Points excite and inspire kids in the storyline. And students receive grades for doing what's expected. So in order to get XP points, they must do additional quests. The more XP points, the more badges.
And let's look at the third approach. Tom Driscol a gamification advocate, translates the XP scores into grades. This is a more motivating approach than traditional grading and averaging. Students notice their grades increase as they collect XP points. Students can fail to receive points. But points are never deducted.
How do you calculate grades? Since gamification is built on mastering competencies, points are accumulated and not averaged. It's important to consider both mastery and progress when determining the student's grades. Here's how to calculate grades from Tom Driscol's point of view. A student's mastery grades should be a reflection of each objective. The greatest averaged and weighted at 50%. Objectives that are not covered are not entered as a zero.
Now let's look at the progress grade. This is the score reflected in the student's end of the unit's XP total. This is also weighted at 50%. Consider this example. Student A demonstrated mastery of the first six objectives with flying colors, and earns a mastery grade of 100%. This student, however, did not complete the final two objectives, and only earned 600 XP points out of a possible total 800 points. This correlates to a progress grade of 80%. Student A's report card grade is then a 90%.
What is a leaderboard? A leader board displays student acquisition of XP points in comparison to their peers. According to Tom Driscol, there are three types of leaderboards-- an individual leader board that displays the high XP scores for individual students across the class, a team leaderboard that displays a combined score for students in each team, and a class leaderboard that puts each class against each other in a head-to-head competition.
How do you build a spreadsheet or leaderboard to track points? Building a spreadsheet will make it easier for you to track points. Using Google Sheets can help you build a spreadsheet that can be viewed by the students, if you decide to share XP points with the entire class. Mr. Matera developed a terrific spreadsheet that can be purchased, that is formulated to calculate XP scores in the gamification classroom.
In this section, we will walk through the steps of building an XP spreadsheet using Google Sheets. First, open a Google Sheet. Build a spreadsheet with formulas to calculate XP scores, with the following categories for each student-- name, team name, total XP points, possible XP points, and quests.
As you can see, I have a list of my students, as well as their team name. And I have some quests that are here, with their points filled in. A simple formula that you may use to calculate the XP points as simply just putting a equals sign, the words sum. And then in parentheses, we have the range of the columns that should be added.
So let's take Edward, for example. This is row 8. And the first column that I want added is in column E. That's why I've included E8 as the first part of this formula in the parentheses. Then the very last column that I want added is I, still in row 8. So I have I8 to end the formula, and then a closed parentheses. So if Edward receives a 100% on the first quest, and he gets a 100% on the second quest, he receives a 90, the full credit for the third quest. But on the fourth quest, he just has a 75. And on the last quest, the full points, 80.
So here is the full amount of points that Edward has earned throughout the quests. You may also add other formulas. If you want to have a total of all the points from quest 1. Now and you have your spreadsheet ready to go, and your students are able to view it.
What did you learn today? In today's lesson, we looked at the three approaches to grading in a gamified classroom. Some examples include using points instead of grades, or a combination of both. Then, we looked at the ways of calculating grades. Next, we looked at the three types of leaderboards-- an individual leaderboard, team, or class leaderboard. Lastly, we went through the steps of building your own spreadsheet to track your student's points.
Consider the following questions. Which approach will you take for grading? Will you use the approach offered by Lee Sheldon, the professor at Indiana University, Mr. Matera, or Tom Driscol, an advocate for gamification? Will you incorporate an individual, team, or class leaderboard?
As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skill set.
Overview
(00:00 - 00:12) Introduction
(00:13 - 00:35) What will you learn today?
(00:36 - 02:40) How do you Gamify Grading?
(02:41 - 03:55) How do you calculate grades?
(03:56 - 04:30) What is a Leaderboard?
(04:31 - 07:04) How do you build a spreadsheet and Leaderboard?
(07:05 - 07:40) What did you learn today?
(07:41 - 08:26) Reflection
Gamify Your Class Level I: XP Grading System
This is a great post that demonstrates how to use the level up (XP) system to track progress in the gamified classroom. This post provides a clear how-to for teachers interested in using XP points as part of their grading practices in a classroom based upon gamification.
http://www.techedupteacher.com/gamify-your-class-level-i-xp-grading-system-2/