Learning and Design Processes in a Gamified Learning Design in which Students Create Curriculum-Based Digital Learning Games

This research project experimented with a gamified learning design enabling adult learners to design digital games while implementing learning goals from their curriculum. The aim was to develop a reusable learning design for upper secondary teachers and students who are game design novices. The gamified learning design supported the innovative learning processes for the students, and the teacher participated as an inspirational guide for the students as they designed curriculum-based learning games. This article describes the learning design, how the teachers contributed to the students’ cognitively complex learning processes, and how four parallel types of processes for designing and learning supported this gamified learning design. The experiment took place in a hybrid synchronous learning environment. The project found that the students experienced deep and motivating learning and that the teachers found this problem-based and activating learning design inspiring and easy to use as a variation to more traditional teaching approaches.