Two Department of Education teachers have become passionate advocates of gamification in education – incorporating digital video games into school subjects to make learning fun and more relevant to a tech-savvy generation of students.

Kelly Pfeiffer, the Department’s Zoo Education Officer based at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo, has developed a Minecraft game called ‘Eco Detectives’ that empowers students to act as conservationists in their local ecosystems.

It uses a series of interactive maps to raise awareness of the plight of species and wild habitats to a new gamer generation.  

“Eco Detectives helps students become real-world environmental agents as they discover why their virtual ecosystems are out of balance, problem-solve why this is so and how to balance and restore that biodiversity,” Ms Pfeiffer said.

“Not only do students develop valuable real-world knowledge and skills within the game but they also have the opportunity to apply their newfound understanding in their local ecosystems outside of the game.”

The game has been used in the 24 NSW Department of Education Environmental and Zoo Education Centres (EZECs).

“The EZECs are crucial to assist students and teachers to take their virtual learnings and experience being Eco Detectives into a real-world context and are leaders in environmental and sustainability education,” Ms Pfeiffer said. 

She said Minecraft Education is a game-based learning platform that was great for building STEM skills.

“Using Minecraft Education in classrooms improves student motivation and engagement, making learning more enjoyable and accessible,” she said.

“It significantly boosts skills like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving.”

Gamification and AI

Stella Ding, a teacher at The Ponds High School, was a recipient of the 2024 Premier’s Creativity across the Curriculum Scholarship as part of the Premier’s annual teacher’s scholarship program.

Her scholarship research, ‘Gamification: Fad or Future’, focused on how digital video games can benefit students in the classroom.

Ms Ding said studies had shown that games had positive effects on visual short-term memory as well as mixed evidence on the enhancement of science education.

“And with the major influx of AI solutions, it stands to be seen how AI can be integrated with gamification in innovative ways to foster authentic learning experiences,” she said.

Ms Ding said AI technology could create more effective adaptive learning algorithms to produce individualised learning pathways for students.

“As teachers, it is crucial to ensure our classrooms are inclusive of the learning needs of all students. Gamification provides one avenue through which teachers can differentiate to ensure the learning needs of all students are met,” she said.

The Ponds High School is one of 50 schools participating in the trial of the Department of Education’s AI tool, NSW EduChat, developed specifically for educational use.