Targeted Infusion Project: Increasing Student Motivation and Engagement in STEM Courses through Gamification

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU- up）通过有针对性的输液项目支持基于证据的创新模式和方法的开发、实施和研究，以提高HBCU本科生的准备和成功，使他们可以追求科学、技术、工程或数学（STEM）研究生课程和/或职业。温斯顿塞勒姆州立大学（Winston Salem State University）的这个项目旨在通过构建软件，利用游戏设计原则和机制组织计算机科学和物理课程，从而提高学生的积极性、参与度和学习成绩。这种方法是通过使用即时反馈、失败自由、选择自由、升级、进度条、徽章和排行榜等游戏元素来激励学生在课程中的特定行为。活动和战略是基于证据的，形成性和总结性评价的强有力计划是项目的一部分。该项目的目标是：实施一个课程游戏化平台，支持STEM课程的游戏化；为两门计算课程《数据结构》和《数据库系统概论》以及一门物理课程《物理原理》的游戏化模块编写教材；并评估开发的软件和创建的教学材料，以评估他们对学生的动机，参与和学习成绩的影响。课程游戏化利用外在和内在的激励因素来吸引和激励学生学习，有可能提高学习成绩，并有助于提高STEM学科的保留率和毕业率。因此，提议的游戏化方法和支持软件将特别有利于那些学生STEM毕业率较低的机构。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Winston Salem State University seeks to improve the motivation, engagement, and academic performance of students by building software that enables the organization of computer science and physics courses using game design principles and mechanisms. This approach is about motivating particular student behavior in a course through the use of game elements, such as instant feedback, freedom to fail, freedom of choice, leveling, progress bars, badges, and leaderboards. The activities and strategies are evidence-based and a strong plan for formative and summative evaluation is part of the project. This project has the objectives to: implement a course gamification platform that can support the gamification of STEM courses; develop instructional materials for gamifying modules of two computing courses, Data Structures and Introduction to Database Systems, and one physics course, Principles of Physics; and evaluate the developed software and created instructional materials to assess their effect on student motivation, engagement, and academic performance. Course gamification, which leverages extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for engaging and motivating students to learn, has the potential to improve academic performance and contribute to increased retention and graduation rates in STEM disciplines. Therefore, the proposed gamification approach and supporting software will be especially beneficial for institutions whose students have low STEM graduation rates.