U of A engineering professor gamifies lectures to boost engagement and learning

When Ahmed Mowafy Saad began teaching at the University of Alberta, he was stunned by the lack of engagement during his lectures.

“When you have a question or try to open any discussion, [the students] give you a poker face,” Saad said. His mission was to encourage students to participate in the discussion. 

“I believe learning is not just a one-way process, it should be two-way,” Saad said. He emphasized the importance of discussion to ensure his students understand the concepts he is explaining.

To make his lectures more engaging, he developed the “Fantasy Mechanics League” for courses such as ENGG 130 and CIV E 270. This concept was inspired by Fantasy Premier League Football, which he had grown up playing. 

This active learning model is based around problem-solving and catching errors through examples sprinkled throughout lectures. Students who participate are able to collect points for the problems they solve, and are rewarded for their engagement. With this learning model, participation jumped from 3.5 per cent to over 50 per cent. 

Boosting in-class participation

Saad highlighted the significance of providing students with positive feedback, even if they misinterpret a question. This helps him identify which areas students might be struggling with, allowing him to focus more on addressing those concepts.

Due to the large number of students per lecture, it can be difficult for each student to participate in the discussion. To bridge this gap, Saad often uses platforms like Kahoot, Mentimeter, and Wooclap to create short in-class quizzes. This allows hundreds of students to participate at the same time, and encourages them to get involved even if they aren’t confident to speak up in class. 

His study, published in the Journal of the American Society for Engineering Education, highlights his findings from applying active learning in his mechanics courses.

A passion for education

During Saad’s undergraduate studies, he would often try to explain concepts to his colleagues which made him realize that everyone has a different way of thinking.

“Sometimes you need to approach the problem in a different way, and I believe this is really important,” Saad said. This experience sparked his passion for education. 

Saad advises educators who would like to increase engagement during lectures to make use of different online platforms and programs. He also encourages educators to attend conferences and join associations that are hubs for those who are passionate about learning.

Some of those groups include the Canadian Engineering Education Association and the American Society of Engineering Education. At the U of A, the Scholarship of Pedagogy and Application of Research Knowledge – Engineering (SPARK-ENG) program supports professors like Saad to design enhanced learning models.