Gamification as a Transferable Pedagogical Innovation for Technology Education: Developing 21st-Century Skills Through Collaborative Game-Based Learning

Omid Mirmotahari^*Helene Nordrum GrunYngvar Berg

• University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

This paper presents gamification as an innovative pedagogical method for technology education, demonstrating its effectiveness in developing 21st-century skills whilst teaching technology awareness and digital literacy. Through a case study of two pilot implementations in an introductory computer science course (n=117 students across two cohorts), we explore how narrative-driven, collaborative game-based learning can enhance student engagement, motivation, and technology comprehension. Our mixed-methods analysis indicated that participation in the gamified track was associated with higher reported motivation and collaborative skill development, and highlighted platform consistency as a key factor for cognitive load and learning outcomes. The gamified approach achieved 100% completion rates in the first pilot and 88-92% satisfaction rates across both implementations. In the second pilot students who chose the gamified track achieved higher exam scores than peers in the traditional track on the same test; however, because participation was voluntary and cohorts were not randomized, these differences should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. However, when bonus tasks required platform switching, completion rates significantly dropped over three chapters, highlighting the importance of integrated digital learning environments. We propose a transferable framework for implementing gamification in technology education across disciplines, emphasising the dual benefits of teaching technology concepts through game mechanics whilst simultaneously developing essential collaborative competencies. These findings contribute to understanding how innovative pedagogical approaches can address the growing need for technology literacy across all academic disciplines.