GradeCraft: what can we learn from a game-inspired learning management system?

The "gamification" of courses (i.e., designing courses that leverage motivational mechanisms found in videogames) is a movement that is gaining traction in educational research communities and universities. Two game-inspired courses were developed at a high-enrollment public university in an effort to increase student engagement, and to provide students with more personalized learning experiences. We designed a learning management system, GradeCraft, to foreground the affordances of these grading systems, and to enhance the "game-like" experience for students. Along with serving as a translation layer for the grading systems of these courses, GradeCraft is also designed with an eye towards learning analytics, and captures information that can be described as student "process" data. Currently this data includes what types of assignments students choose to complete; how students assign percentage weights to their chosen assignments; how often and how accurately students check or model their course grades; and how successfully assignments are completed by students individually and the class as a whole across a structured grading rubric. We hope GradeCraft will give instructors new insight into student engagement, and provide data-driven ideas about how to tailor courses to student needs.