How DCC Enhanced Learning Through Gamification and Open Communication

All images courtesy of Delgado Community College

 The challenge

Throughout her education as a neurodivergent student, Dr. Amanda Rosenzweig, Assistant Dean of the School of STEM at Delgado Community College (DCC), experienced the direct impact of learning in different ways from her peers. After a teacher encouraged her to take control of the way she learned, Dr. Rosenzweig finally started to enjoy the learning process. Those experiences later influenced her profession as an educator, and today, she uses PlayPosit by WeVideo to expertly teach students with a wide range of needs and learning styles.

The solution

Dr. Rosenzweig believes the simple concept of play can unlock an enjoyable education experience for her students. She often uses PlayPosit to bring out that sense of wonder and lifelong learning in three core areas, which we will keep revisiting throughout this article.

Dr. Rosenzweig used interactive video to empower:

• Playful pedagogy, which is the idea that incorporating gamification into teaching encourages engagement from students and boosts morale.
• Intentional professional development opportunities, which get educators up-to-speed on new skills with a reasonable time investment.
• No/low-stakes learning, which encourages students to take quizzes without their grades counting, so they can build a solid foundation with the material. 

The results

By using PlayPosit, DCC has helped students and faculty succeed by:

• Playful pedagogy: Creating a gamified, interactive biology bootcamp to help improve department attrition, especially because students in the department often plan to pursue additional education.
• Professional development: Expanding curriculum opportunities to multiple skills and sharing with the more than 500 teachers in the system.
• No/Low-stakes learning: Offering extra credit and alternative assessments to give students every opportunity to showcase their knowledge. 

Key takeaways

Using PlayPosit allows the following:

• More engaging asynchronous learning and professional development when learners are completing modules
• Two-way communication between learners and the facilitator, thanks to interactive video
• The ability to scale features for use in multiple departments, once one or several features master the platform

Hear the full story

Watch Dr. Rosenzweig's full story below.

Benefits of interactive video

• Triple engagement: Prove effective curricula with powerful analytics. Assess, remediate, and repeat.
• Create flexible, self-paced programs: Interactive elements like multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, web embeds, and check-alls promote learning in any environment.
• Target instruction: Personalize learning with PlayPosit's branched pathways, playlists, jumps, and more.

Practical strategies for educators

Dr. Rosenzweig also offers these goal-based tips for faculty and staff:

• Playful pedagogy: Incorporate tangible outcomes, like prizes, badging, or certificates, to incentivize learners to complete a video series.
• Professional development: Keep videos short and digestible, so learners can keep working through the material even if they are short on time.
• No/low-stakes learning: Encourage learning by setting completion requirements, but don’t make wrong answers punitive.