Unplugged Versus Plugged Gamification – A Comparative Study in Higher Education on Engagement, Motivation and Teachers’ Perception

This research delves into the realm of gamification in higher education, specifically contrasting unplugged versus plugged gamification techniques. Through a systematic literature review, we identified key effects of unplugged gamification, such as enhanced student computational thinking skills. A subsequent experimental study was conducted to compare the efficacy of unplugged (Blue&Go!) and plugged (Kahoot!) gamification platforms in fostering student engagement and motivation. Our findings suggest that while both platforms positively influenced engagement, participants dis-played a higher engagement level with Kahoot!, potentially due to their familiarity and comfort with the system. However, Blue&Go! excelled in promoting motivation, interest, and immersion. A notable discovery was the impact of teaching experience on participants’ engagement levels, with those lacking teaching experience showing stronger levels of motivation and interest across both platforms. Resource constraints, including time, money, and workload, were found to influence gamified application usage intentions, especially among experienced educators. While our study under-scores the promising potential of unplugged gamification, certain limitations, including the small scale of the experiment and participant diversity, suggest that broader studies are required for more definitive conclusions.