GAMIFICATION OF MOOCS: EXPERIENCE OF DEVELOPMENT GAME APPLICATIONS

The process of learning by MOOС has a number of problem points:1) passivity of the listener in the process of information receipt that leads to the loss of attention (student listens but does not hear);2) low efficiency or total absence of tools for the development of practical skills and systems thinking. Gamification can help to solve these problems.Gamification is an approach that applies the methods, techniques and mechanics inherent in games to solve non-game tasks used to increase motivation of the subject. However, this is an experimental technology in MOOC and it has not any patterns to follow at the moment. Gamification is not only aimed at involving people in the121Д.И. Пивневeducational process, but also teaches students the skill to identify linkages between systems, events and developments.The learning MOOC outcomes depend on the level of self-organization andmotivation of the listener. The introduction of game mechanics with interactive objects can provide information for passive perception by a user (in the case of video) and also require immediate response. Thus, the amount of knowledge lost in the case of distraction of the student is minimized.The Department of Humanitarian Problems of Informatics of TSU initiated a project to create a game module for MOOC about social robotics. This project is aimed primarily at increasing the interactivity of the course, enhancing the student’s motivation to learn and obtaining empirical experience in implementing interactivetechnologies in the MOOC structure for future research and development of distance learning technologies.During the preparatory phase of the project we determined the structure of the plan and the implementation of key technologies. Due to the fact that MOOC paradigm implies a maximum coverage of the audience through a special online platform for learning, the game module should work directly in the course structure on the Open Edx, without extra additions to the platform, with the ability to integrate the application with other LMS.After the analysis of the technologies presented on the software market, we decided to create the module on the Unreal Engine 4 technology. Subsequently it can be exported to HTML5, which provides the opportunity of interaction on the vast majority of modern devices (smartphones, tablets, PC) without the need to install additional plugins, applications and programs.This project is the first of its kind and it will bring a lot of information for analysis and decision-making for improve the methodology of designing open online courses.

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