Enhancing Student Engagement through Social Media-Based Gamification in a UI/UX Design Course

Nowadays, incorporating innovative teaching methods that enhance student engagement has become increasingly crucial. In our study, we examine a new pedagogical practice which relies on gamified formative peer assessment and social media to improve student engagement and digital skills in higher education. The approach was implemented and validated with 300 IT students in a UI/UX Design course. Students were requested to design high-fidelity wireframes as part of a project, which were posted on Instagram, where followers voted for the best wireframe using Instagram’s poll feature. The wireframe with the most votes was awarded, adding a competition aspect to gamification. These results show a significant impact on student engagement. High level of interest was confirmed on Instagram. Students expressed excitement about using social media as part of the course and valued the move away from a teacher-centred pedagogical approach.