During the last several weeks during a graduate class, I have been introduced to two new platforms on built on a blockchain system, SpringRole and HiveBlog. Both have leaderboard screens to demonstrate user rewards and engagement...and they couldn't be more different. Different in looks, different in information and different in their success in rewarding me or engaging me.
Now, not everyone is a fan of leaderboards. I'll admit, when I consider my personality, I'm not very competitive and in most cases a leaderboard is either simply not motivating or it is actually de-motivating. I never employed them in my class and wondered how they were used by teachers. As I drifted down that Google rabbit hole, I was shocked at the range of uses in schools and classrooms. Some schools use them in a cooperative setting where the progress of different classrooms are displayed. That I can appreciate in how it would build team spirit and engagement. But I also found instances where students were listed by GPA or instances where each assignment was tracked on the wall for all to see. I can't believe that doesn't break some sort of privacy law or policy (Vander Ark, 2016). I see where they are attempting to motivate students, but for me and in my experience that would not be a motivator for anyone that wasn't at the top of the board.
*Photo credit - Tom Vander Ark
Vander Ark goes on to share thoughts from Tim Hudson from Dream Box.
“Some math programs with competitive aspects show students getting excited and giving each other high-fives when they win; but in the background you can see the losing students are devastated. Similarly, leaderboards publicly show winners and losers, which can negatively impact a student’s growth mindset and agency" (2016)
So when I started to think about this assignment and how the leaderboards affected my engagement with the platforms, I expected it to be a solid "it doesn't" on both counts. But, the leaderboards are so different, that when thinking about both of them, I could only say that the leaderboard for SpringRole doesn't engage me. HiveBlog's leaderboard has qualities that even my non-competitive self engaged with. This comes down to their content and design.
SpringRole's leader board is non-descript, bland and the information is undefined. I'll be honest, I'm not even sure what the goals are. HiveBlog's leaderboard, HiveBuzz, is engaging to look at, has clear iconography of what the badges/rewards represent, and they encourage behavior that is good for me on HiveBlog and good for the HiveBlog community. Additionally, the only person I'm competing with is myself. It is really more of a goal chart, rather than a leader board and with the level of competition in my personality, that is right kind of leaderboard.
#education #motivation
References
Vander Ark, Tom. (2016, March 29). To Leaderboard or Not: The Art of Motivating and Monitoring Performance. Getting Smart. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/03/to-leaderboard-or-not-the-art-of-motivating-and-monitoring-performance/