Implementing a gamified e-learning platform to teach softskills to bachelor students

Abstract: The importance of e-learning has increased rapidly in recent years and most recently because of Covid-19 and the restrictions posted by governments worldwide. In addition, studies have shown that gamification can be used to increase engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. Thus, gamification elements are now integrated on multiple popular e-learning platforms.In this thesis, the gamified e-learning platform Eprof has been further developed and used by 92 bachelor's students studying the course Professionalism for Engineers at Linköping University. The thesis aimed to understand how to implement a gamified e-learning platform and evaluate it based on student behavior, user experience (UEQ), and technology acceptance (TAM). The result showed that the students accepted Eprof and the user experience was positive in absolute values. However, Eprof's user experience was in line or slightly below average compared to the benchmark. Furthermore, student behavior showed that the ambition level decreased during the measurement period regarding submission time before the deadline and earned points. In conclusion, the implementation of the gamified platform was successful in absolute terms and relative to the currently available alternatives used at Linköping University. However, there is room for improvement regarding gamification, user experience, and functionality. Gamification needs to be more adapted to the context to achieve the potential of gamification. In addition, research over a more extended period needs to be conducted to ensure the validity of the result.