We wanted to raise public awareness about gamification trends in education, as well as create a platform offering users both theoretical and practical insights for applying gamification principles in teaching. The goal was to provide teachers with access to materials that could help them incorporate specific tools for hybrid and virtual learning. We aimed to support active learning and student engagement in the classroom, increase student involvement in hybrid learning by integrating serious games into study programs, and create webinars and e-learning modules. As a result of these steps, we aimed to achieve the following goals: - To raise students' awareness of the importance of hybrid learning, virtual collaboration, communication, and virtual work by training teachers in the use of new ICT tools in education. - To promote active learning, focus on improving students' concentration, and break negative attitudes towards hybrid learning through video game principles. - To increase student involvement in hybrid learning by incorporating educational games into teaching plans. - To keep students engaged in hybrid learning and prevent them from dropping out of school.
We applied for the project because we felt pressure from our institutions to be involved in a similarly focused project. The organization coordinating the project has long been engaged in the implementation of gamification in education and considers it one of its priorities in defining the needs of modern education. Partner institutions across Europe have committed to helping us with both the theoretical foundation and practical application of the project. We saw this as an opportunity to systematically focus on the development of gamification methods in teaching. Gamification is not a teaching method, but an approach aimed at making learning more attractive within the educational process. If the gamified content is not of high quality, this approach alone cannot bring significant change. Studies show that gamification activates motivation, which leads students to work harder, helps students demonstrate productive behavior by triggering a competitive instinct, and also motivates them to reduce unproductive behavior. Both students and teachers should be encouraged to think about new ways to engage young people, as digital opportunities are unlimited for the young and are a natural part of their lives.