Gamification: Conceptual framework to online courses of learning computer programming

Gamification has attracted the attention of researchers from different areas such as marketing, health, sports and education. Gamification integrates elements of game design in non-game context, with the purpose of engaging a person in a certain activity. This integration should follow a formal and clear design process. However, these gamification design processes for specific contexts aren't still defined. This article presents a proposal for a gamification framework for online distance courses to learn how to program. This framework is composed by the following dimensions: target audience, general goals, learning outcomes, topics, contents, gamification, cognitive absorption, flow, and personality. This article also presents a review of the existing literature on these dimensions. The theoretical framework is a contribution to guide teachers in the gamification of online programming learning courses.