What is Assignment Choice

Higher education is currently experiencing a period of self-examination as tuition costs soar, academic relevance is being challenged, and institutions experience stagnant enrollment. This changing collegial landscape has prompted higher education faculty and administration to reexamine many of their current practices. One area that some faculty have begun to explore is their pedagogical approach to instruction. Having realized that the lecture format is no longer sufficient for delivering engaging education, faculty have started to embrace alternative pedagogies such as games or game elements to enhance assignments and increase student engagement. This chapter will explore gamification implementation as an alternative pedagogical method and examine various elements of a gamified class structure at the university level. Other key features discussed in this exploration include the design and evaluation of course assignments, the use of locks on assignments, and the relevance of competition within gamified courses.