Gamification of teaching information literacy: the case of the Information and Library Center of the Medical University of Łódź

Abstract

In an era marked by the omnipresence of Information and Communication Technologies, educators face the intimidating challenge of harnessing students’ attention. Studies suggest that technology adopted early in life affects brain structure and cognition. Therefore, new generations require creative pedagogical approaches such as gamified learning. At the Information and Library Center of the Medical University of Łódź, we are exploring the optimal combination of gamification elements to improve learning outcomes in our specific academic environment. This article presents practical examples of more engaging materials that we have designed at the Information and Library Center to teach information literacy. Gamified materials were tested on various groups of library users (students, librarians, and academic staff). Although we have gained an interesting insight on how learners perceive gamified learning, a quantitative analysis is still needed.