Innovative Educator Series - The One Where Learning Feels Like a Game

This session explores how gamification can be used to promote engagement, problem-solving, and deeper learning through purposeful course design. Using examples such as escape-room-style activities in Blackboard, presenters will share practical approaches that make learning interactive without losing academic focus.

Speaker 1

Applying escape room principles to create engaging content

Peter Boorman, Learning Designer, University of Southampton.

In this session Peter will demonstrate how he incorporated escape rooms principles and elements of gamification to create an ‘escape room’ module in Blackboard Ultra. The module is designed for staff to become familiar with Blackboard Ultra in a unique and fun way. Acting as a student, staff must navigate through different areas to find information, discover clues and solve puzzles. This presentation is designed to generate ideas for how you could apply escape room principles to your own course and use Blackboard Ultra features to create engaging content.

Speaker 2

Teaching with Game-Inspired Design in Blackboard Learn

Dr. Araz Yusubov, Assistant Professor, Computer and Information Sciences, ADA University.

This session introduces Blackboard instructors to straightforward gamification techniques that enhance student motivation and participation. Drawing on real classroom experience, it presents three core design strategies — structuring your course as a “learning journey” with clear milestones, integrating meaningful rewards and friendly competition, and building in second-chance opportunities that support persistence.