Gamification and game-based learning in higher education: a case study about teachers’ expectations

This paper is a qualitative case study which explores university teachers' attitudes towards gamification, their expectations about the use of a gamified approach in HE courses, and their willingness to adopt this approach. This study also intends to highlight strategies by which HEIs interested in promoting the adoption of gamified learning could affect the current gap between teachers' attitudes towards gamification and game-based learning, which is generally positive, and their actual use, which remains limited. The data were collected through focus groups involving 13 teachers, all in-service at Link Campus University, a private Italian university located in Rome, and analysed through qualitative content analysis. The main findings of this research suggest that providing teachers with appropriate training, guidance, and support during the design, development, and implementation phases of a gamified learning intervention could significantly reduce the current attitude-use gap.