Document Open Access Logo

Enhancing Creative Thinking Through Gamification in LMS Environments

Authors Maria João Varanda Pereira , Luís M. Alves , Adina Cocu , Sandra M. Dingli , Montse Meneses , Ramon Vilanova

PDF

File

Thumbnail PDF
PDF
OASIcs.ICPEC.2025.6.pdf
  • Filesize: 1 MB
  • 17 pages

Document Identifiers

Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Applied computing → Learning management systems
  • Applied computing → Interactive learning environments
  • Social and professional topics → Computer science education
  • Software and its engineering → Imperative languages
Keywords
  • Creative Thinking
  • Gamification
  • LMS
  • Teaching Programming

Metrics

  • Access Statistics
  • Total Accesses (updated on a weekly basis)
    0
    PDF Downloads
    0
    Metadata Views

Abstract

Gamification in educational context involves applying game design elements and principles to enhance the learning experience. By incorporating the motivational features of games, it aims to engage students and support educational goals. The work presented in this article is part of ThinkGame Erasmus+ project. The project’s goal is to encourage the use of Learning Management System (LMS) tools, such as lessons, wikis, and online tests to create gamified experiences in programming classes. These innovative strategies are intended to boost student motivation and creativity by incorporating compelling narratives, adaptable challenges, collaborative tasks, and continuous feedback. Another important challenge addressed in the project was fostering creativity among teachers, encouraging them to transform conventional, non-gamified resources into engaging and thought-provoking activities for students. A case study composed of ten gamified experiences was developed at Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, one of the project partners, during one semester in Imperative Programming subject.

Cite As Get BibTex

Maria João Varanda Pereira, Luís M. Alves, Adina Cocu, Sandra M. Dingli, Montse Meneses, and Ramon Vilanova. Enhancing Creative Thinking Through Gamification in LMS Environments. In 6th International Computer Programming Education Conference (ICPEC 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 133, pp. 6:1-6:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025) https://doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.ICPEC.2025.6

Author Details

Maria João Varanda Pereira
  • Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Portugal
Luís M. Alves
  • Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Portugal
Adina Cocu
  • University "Dunărea de Jos" of Galati, Romania
Sandra M. Dingli
  • The Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
Montse Meneses
  • School of Engineering, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
Ramon Vilanova
  • School of Engineering, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

Funding

The work of Maria João and Luís was supported by national funds through UID/05757 - Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI); and SusTEC, LA/P/0007/2020 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0007/2020).

References

  1. Efrain Boom-Cárcamo, Lina Buelvas-Gutiérrez, Leticia Acosta-Oñate, and Dailyng Boom-Cárcamo. Gamification and problem-based learning (pbl): Development of creativity in the teaching-learning process of mathematics in university students. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 53:101614, 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101614.
  2. CEN - European Committee for Standardization. European e-competence framework (e-cf) - a common european framework for ict professionals in all industry sectors. https://esco.ec.europa.eu/en/about-esco/escopedia/escopedia/european-e-competence-framework-e-cf, 2019. EN 16234-1:2019.
  3. Matt Davis. 5 critical life skills everyone should have, according to who. Neuropsych, April 28, 2019. URL: https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/5-critical-life-skills-everyone-should-have/.
  4. Edward De Bono. Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step. Harper & Row, New York, 1970. Google Scholar
  5. Edward De Bono. de Bono’s Thinking Course. BBC Books, London, 1982-1991. Google Scholar
  6. Sebastian Deterding, Rilla Khaled, Lennart Nacke, and Dan Dixon. Gamification: Toward a definition. In Gamification Workshop Proceedings, pages 1-4, May 7-12 2011. Gamification Workshop Proceedings, CHI 2011 Conference, Vancouver, BC. Google Scholar
  7. Robert F. Eberle. Scamper: Games for Imagination Development. D.O.K. Publishers, Buffalo, New York, 1971. Google Scholar
  8. Raymond D. Frost, Vic Matta, and Erin MacIvor. Assessing the efficacy of incorporating game dynamics in a learning management system. Journal of Information Systems Education, 26:59-70, 2015. URL: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol26/iss1/6/.
  9. M. Goodman and S.M. Dingli. Creativity and Strategic Innovation Management: Directions for Future Value in Changing Times. 2nd Edition, Routledge, London, 2017. Google Scholar
  10. Sue Grey. Creativity for the 21st century: A critical appraisal. In The Oxford Handbook of Creativity and Education. Oxford University Press, August 2025. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197698181.013.0040.
  11. J. P. Guilford. Creativity. American Psychologist, 5(9):444-454, 1950. URL: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0063487.
  12. Kai Huotari and Juho Hamari. Defining gamification: a service marketing perspective. In Proceeding of the 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference, MindTrek '12, pages 17-22, New York, NY, USA, 2012. Association for Computing Machinery. URL: https://doi.org/10.1145/2393132.2393137.
  13. Kai Huotari and Juho Hamari. A definition for gamification: anchoring gamification in the service marketing literature. JElectronic Markets, 27:21-31, 2017. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-015-0212-z.
  14. Lorena Jaramillo-Mediavilla, Andrea Basantes-Andrade, Marcos Cabezas-González, and Sonia Casillas-Martín. Impact of gamification on motivation and academic performance: A systematic review. Education Sciences, 14(6), 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14060639.
  15. L.D. Newton and D.P. Newton. Creativity in 21st-century education. Prospects, 44:575-589, 2014. EPrint Processing Status: Full text deposited in DRO. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-014-9322-1.
  16. Kingsley Ofosu-Ampong and Richard Boateng. Gamifying sakai: Understanding game elements for learning. In AMCIS 2018 Proceedings. AIS Electronic Library (AISeL), 2018. Google Scholar
  17. Jose Carlos Paiva, Jose Paulo Leal, and Ricardo Queiros. Odin: A service for gamification of learning activities. In JL SierraRodriguez, JP Leal, and A Simoes, editors, Languages, Applications and Technologies, SLATE 2015, volume 563 of Communications in Computer and Information Science, pages 194-204, 2015. 4th International Symposium on Languages, Applications and Technologies (SLATE), Complutense Univ Madrid, Fac Philol, Madrid, SPAIN, JUN 18-19, 2015. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27653-3_19.
  18. Jane Piirto. Creativity for 21st Century Skills, pages 1-12. SensePublishers, Rotterdam, 2011. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-463-8_1.
  19. Gerard J. Puccio. From the dawn of humanity to the 21st century: Creativity as an enduring survival skill. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 51(4):330-334, 2017. URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.203.
  20. SAKAI. https://sakai.screenstepslive.com/s/sakai_help/. Accessed: 2025-04-17.
  21. Adam Spanier, Sherri Weitl Harms, and John Hastings. A classification scheme for gamification in computer science education: Discovery of foundational gamification genres in data structures courses. In 2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages 1-9, 2021. URL: https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE49875.2021.9637447.
  22. The Sakai Project. Sakai: Collaboration and learning environment for education, 2025. Accessed: 2025-05-09. URL: https://www.sakaiproject.org.
  23. Deepti Wadhawan and Pintu Mishra. Assessing the efficacy of incorporating game dynamics in a learning management system. Journal of Management (JOM), 11:18-32, 2024. URL: https://iaeme.com/MasterAdmin/Journal_uploads/JOM/VOLUME_11_ISSUE_2/JOM_11_02_003.pdf.
  24. Christiane Wangenheim, Rafael Savi, and Adriano Borgatto. SCRUMIA - an educational game for teaching scrum in computing courses. Journal of Systems and Software, 86:2675-2687, 2013. Google Scholar
  25. Jiyuan Zeng, Daner Sun, Chee-Kit Looi, and Andy Chun Wai Fan. Exploring the impact of gamification on students' academic performance: A comprehensive meta-analysis of studies from the year 2008 to 2023. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(6):2478-2502, 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13471.
Questions / Remarks / Feedback
X

Feedback for Dagstuhl Publishing


Thanks for your feedback!

Feedback submitted

Could not send message

Please try again later or send an E-mail
© 2023-2025 Schloss Dagstuhl – LZI GmbH About DROPS Imprint Privacy Contact