Gamifying Class Assignments: Allowing Students to Choose Based on Their Interests

Educators worldwide strive to transform what are often perceived as "dull learning environments" into engaging ones. Although numerous studies explore gamification in education, few explore the gamification of class assignments. Building on the premise that individuals are more likely to engage with tasks they find interesting, our central research question was: What factors contribute to the interestingness of class assignments? We conducted a qualitative study (employing Thematic Analysis) involving Brazilian college sophomores tasked with designing assignments for their enrolled courses. Our qualitative findings revealed several characteristics that can enhance task interest. Furthermore, we found that interestingness varies based on individual factors, rather than adhering to a one-size-fits-all solution. Additionally, we profiled students according to their gamification user types (utilizing the Hexad framework) to understand assignments from the perspective of different user personas. This study offers valuable insights into the gamification of classroom assignments, contributing to the fields of gamification and instructional design.