Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Karima Benhia's Inspiring Path to Gamification in Education

Volunteer Educator Story, Palermo, Italy- 23.08.2024

Interview with Karima Benhia – Volunteer Educator from Palermo


Hi, Karima. Can you introduce yourself and how you came up with the idea of crafting a workshop on gamification applied to education?

I am pursuing a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship  & Management at University of Palermo and I come from Morocco. During the quarantine period, like many others, I found myself immersed in video games, spending entire days playing while also attending lectures. Unfortunately, my interest and focus waned, and I struggled with online exams due to a lack of understanding of the subjects. To address this, I began converting my lecture content into Kahoot questions, which surprisingly improved my performance compared to physical exams.

This experience sparked my interest in gamification, although I didn’t know the concept at the time. I started exploring how to create similar games across different subjects but couldn’t find specific examples. I considered card games but felt they weren’t sufficient for university-level learning, leading me to lose motivation once again.

 

It wasn’t until my first year of master’s degree studies that I encountered material on gamification, albeit focused on business. This renewed my interest and prompted me to delve deeper into this exciting field.

“From transforming lectures into engaging Kahoot games to discovering the power of gamification, my journey began with a quest for effective learning during uncertain times.”

Well, done. You finally implemented your idea of workshop. How was it, can you share your experience here?

 

I was not expecting, but I managed to create a safe space for me to share my knowledge on gamification and for the others to exchange ideas. I liked the atmosphere and I felt that everyone was at ease and engaged. I learnt that when crafting a workshop, it is not only about how you develop and present your idea, but it is also the audience who shapes the workshop and adds value. That is exactly what happened when I presented the workshop on gamification. I hope to have more opportunities where I can learn from myself and from the others.

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