Motivating Professional Student Behavior Through a Gamified Personal Branding Assignment

Abstract

Gamification is increasingly being implemented in higher education to engage students. This article presents a gamified pedagogical exercise intended to motivate students to consider how their in-person and digital behaviors affect their personal brands. Students receive and lose points for various behaviors and reflect on whether these behaviors support or conflict with their desired brand image. Points can be redeemed for assignment extensions or resubmissions, and can lead to exam exemptions. Challenges and limitations of the exercise, as well as recommendations for marketing educators, are discussed.