Gamification in e-learning: The effect on student performance and perception at an Iraqi university

Creating an effective environment in e learning is one of the challenges that are encountered by educational and pedagogical institutions to increase the engagement and motivation of students during the educational process. One method to make an e learning environment effective and attractive is the application of the gamification concept, which improves learners' engagement by integrating e learning with game design elements. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of gamification elements such as (points, level-up, badges and leaderboard) in Moodle system on students' performance and perception. Forty-seven Iraq University students were participated in the online Architecture course into two different settings. Thirty students of the experimental group worked with gamification tools (points, level-up, badges and leaderboard) and seventeen students of the control group had access to the same session and activities but without the gamification tools. Data sources included students' grades of pre and post-tests on papers and students' survey results of experimental group according to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results indicated that students in the experimental group had no statistically significant difference from the control group regarding the student's performances on pre-test scores, whereas the experimental group students had higher grades than the control group students indicating a statistically significant difference regarding the students' performances on post-test scores. Furthermore, nearly all students in the experimental group strongly agreed that using the gamification tools (points, level-up, badges and leaderboard) in Moodle system were engaging and beneficial in education.