October 16, 2026
An online course should help the learner to become engaged by building on their natural desire to explore, to understand new things and master them.
“No compulsory learning can remain in the soul…in teaching children, train them by a kind of game, and you will be able to see more clearly the natural bent of each”
(Plato, The Republic, Book VII)
Gamification doesn’t have to involve gold stars or badges. It can simply involve presenting the learner with a number of choices in order to lead them down a certain path.
“A good game is just a series of interesting choices”
(Sid Meier, creator of “Civilization” series, “Railroad Tycoon”)
Here is a Quick Tips course on how to add gamification to your online courses: Quick Tips: Gamification.