Gamification and Design Thinking in Higher Education: Case Studies for Instructional Innovation in the Economics Classroom

This book analyzes the use of gamification and design thinking in higher education, examining how both techniques can be combined and used together to promote motivation, engagement, and participation among students.

Using two in-depth examples, the authors show that the introduction of a gamified design in a design thinking activity can be a powerful tool to enhance the experiences of students in the teaching-learning process of a subject; motivate participants in a design thinking activity in the university environment; and enhance skills such as creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving, and collaboration, widely demanded in the labor market. Further, they examine how gamification and design thinking in the educational field can enable both the motivation and engagement of students and promote behavioral changes that materialize as a boost in learning outcomes and academic performance.

Providing valuable recommendations and insights into the analysis, design and development, and implementation and evaluation of gamified design thinking activities to be carried out in higher education, as well as examining relevant ethical issues, the book will appeal to scholars, researchers, academic faculty, and educators working in the field of higher education, and with interests in educational psychology and theories of learning.

Carmen Bueno Muñoz is Lecturer at the Department of Economics, the Faculty of Economics and Business, the University of Zaragoza, Spain. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Extremadura, Spain, and was granted the Extraordinary Doctorate Award from the same university.

Núria Hernández Nanclares is Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Economics, University of Oviedo, Spain. She holds a Ph.D. in economics and is specialized in teaching innovation in economics and higher education. She is accredited for online teaching by the University of Oviedo, Spain, and as a "Flipped Learning" trainer by the Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI).

Luis R. Murillo Zamorano is Associate Professor at the Department of Economics and Director of the Research Group in Economic Analysis and Marketing Management (AEDIMARK R&D Group) in the University of Extremadura, Spain. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of York, UK.

José Ángel López Sánchez is Associate Professor in the Marketing and Market Research Area and Researcher in the Research Group on Economic Analysis and Marketing Management (AEDIMARK R&D Group) in the University of Extremadura, Spain. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Oviedo, Spain.