Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.

In the last few years there have been some major changes to how we develop personally. While in the past the only way to learn was through reading books, attending seminars or going through formal training programs, today’s individuals have come to expect learning that can be integrated into their daily lives and that they can complete at their own pace. As a result, digital learning tools are using more and more of gamification to support the motivation, continuation, and measurable learning outcomes for their users — while avoiding both the use of pressure or rigid structure.
One of the biggest challenges for most learners is being able to stay motivated for extended periods of time and maintain focus. Gamified learning tools have found a solution to this challenge by breaking down content into small, easy-to-understand units. These units include all of the elements needed to support learning such as, progress indicators, levels, and immediate feedback — so that learners know exactly what they need to do next.
While these types of learning tools may also support extrinsic motivation (i.e., reward-based), the fact that they support intrinsic motivation is what makes them so powerful. According to learning psychologists, learners who can see direct evidence of their efforts will continue to engage with a system because it supports their desire to learn. Given the reality of most adult learners, who have competing priorities (e.g., work and personal) that impact their availability to pursue learning, having the option to learn at their own pace is an essential element of sustaining consistent learning behavior.
Another key benefit of gamified learning tools is their ability to support self-assessment. One of the biggest challenges faced by most learners is knowing what they don’t know. With the use of structured interactions, learners receive neutral feedback that helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses, without the pressure of a formal test.
Quiz questions are an example of a well designed assessment tool that can help support self-assessment. Quiz questions require learners to actively recall information rather than simply passively consume it, thereby allowing learners to identify knowledge gaps. When learners receive immediate feedback about their answers to quiz questions, they are empowered to make independent decisions about whether or not they want to spend additional time focusing on those areas of knowledge, and thereby support their autonomy and informed decision-making.
There is considerable research that demonstrates that the amount of time that learners retain new information is directly related to the amount of active engagement that they exhibit during the initial learning experience. Gamified systems promote learner engagement and repetition, which serves to strengthen memory pathways and increase retention of concepts. In addition, gamified systems support the repeated exposure to information over time, in various ways, which promotes the formation of a stable learning base that supports long-term retention, rather than just promoting a single exposure to information.
Furthermore, mistakes are viewed as an opportunity for learning, rather than a source of anxiety. This positive view of mistakes is a major advantage of gamified learning tools, as much of the learning in personal development occurs through reflection and adjustments made based on prior experiences.
Gamified knowledge platforms are utilized across a wide variety of personal development areas, including general knowledge and cognitive training. The primary value of gamified knowledge platforms is their ability to support continuous engagement with learning, rather than a focus on short-term performance. Additionally, the clarity of structure, neutrality of feedback, and adaptability of gamified knowledge platforms make them a highly versatile framework for a wide range of learning goals. For further background on adaptive education models, UNESCO outlines how modular and learner-centered systems support lifelong skills development in its article on flexible learning pathways for the future, highlighting policy perspectives and global best practices.
Given the increasing importance of self-directed learning in the future, gamified platforms represent a practical framework that combines the structure needed to support long-term learning habits with the flexibility needed to accommodate the changing demands of real-life.
Disclaimer: MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence.