MAXIMUS is a European project seeking to boost learner motivation, engagement and learning outcomes through the use of gamification in classes around Europe. The project partners from Slovakia, Spain, Greece and Portugal have successfully developed an educational motivation system as the first and main result of the project.
As part of the second project result, the MAXIMUS platform has recently undergone testing with participating schools’ teachers, trainers and learners. The aim is to find out how the system works in practice, identify any errors or shortcomings and gather feedback from the education community to make the tool available for use in schools.
The testing activities took place in two rounds. The first testing round took place between March and September 2022 to test the demo version of the MAXIMUS platform to identify errors and shortcomings with the participation of 70 students and 8 teachers. Once the inputs for improvement were integrated, the second testing activities took place between November and December of 2022. The participants of the testing were students and teachers from Spain, Slovakia, and Greece.
The feedback that has been received so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Teachers have reported that their students are more motivated and engaged in their learning, and learners have reported that the MAXIMUS platform made learning more fun and interactive. Specifically, 68% of students declared an excitement increase for subjects, 96% enjoyed the benefits/awards offered in the platform, 86% stated that the awards made them work harder in class, and finally, 79% found it interesting to purchase nicknames with avatars.
However, there were also students who did not feel more engaged in classes while using the MAXIMUS platform, with a student stating, “my overall excitement remained the same, it did not change anything because the software does not motivate me in subjects such as history and language, it motivates me in Physics, but we are not using this system anywhere else, because I am not interested in these subjects even if we play games”. Or others, who could not identify the benefits of gamification in their studies asking “what has that to do with studies?”.
Based on the important feedback accumulated during these two testing phases, we will use it to significantly improve the MAXIMUS’ platform functionality and make it even more appealing to students. For example, recurring feedback from students was that the avatars need to become more interesting and to be available to be bought by more than one student.
The motivation system that has been developed is designed to be accessible from a range of devices, including PCs, iPads and mobile phones. This means learners can access the platform from anywhere, at any time, making it a flexible and convenient tool for teachers and learners alike. The team is now working on developing an application for mobile phones, which will make the platform even more accessible.
The MAXIMUS project is a great example of how technology can be used to enhance learning outcomes and motivate learners. By making learning more fun and interactive, teachers can ensure their students’ engagement and motivation to learn, leading to better academic performance.
Overall, the MAXIMUS project has been a resounding success so far. The team has developed a powerful motivation system that has received positive feedback from the education community. With the development of a mobile phone application, the platform will become even more accessible and convenient for learners and teachers alike. We look forward to seeing how this project develops and how it can be used to enhance learning outcomes across Europe and beyond.
