Leveling Up: Gamification Pedagogy in the Hagiological Classroom

Summary

Gamification, a form of experiential learning that emphasizes student choice and activity, can transform information-heavy courses like those on religious mysticism and hagiology. In a "Masters and Mystics" course comparing Christian mysticism and Muslim Sufism, gamification's use of game mechanics and experience design promoted intrinsic student motivation, even when dealing with complex, affectively charged material. The article analyzes successes and failures of this approach and describes how lessons learned led to a redesigned "Comparative Mysticism: Christianity and Islam" course with new gamification practices.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Gamification is a specific type of experiential learning theory (ELT) that emphasizes student choice and activities to transform mundane tasks into a desirable opportunity to learn. This pedagogical approach is particularly useful in information-heavy courses, such as courses that engage in the study of religious mysticism or “hagiology”. In hagiology classes, students are exposed to new hagiographic media and discuss methods that are particularly complicated because this content is not only heavy on data but also engages the affective dimensions of human experience. This article explores leessons learned from the successes and failures of gamification pedagogy in my “Masters and Mystics” course, where students comparatively study Christian mysticism and Muslim Sufism. In particular, this article analyzes gamifacation’s ability to promote intrinsic student motivation through “game mechanics and experience design”, which is particularly salient in the hagiological classroom. I end the article with a discussion of how I have reworked the course with new gamification practices into a “Comparative Mysticism: Christianity and Islam” course.