Why Most Leaderboards Fail To Engage Students

"Leaderboards are commonly used by educators to engage students in many educational contexts. But most implementations fail to truly unlock the benefits for learner engagement by making the same mistakes, time and again. This article highlights why leaderboards work, tackles the common misconceptions around leaderboards and student engagement, and provides a new mental model for thinking about how to implement leaderboards in eLearning platforms."

"By ranking students alongside others in a similar position, leaderboards not only motivate students to achieve better results but also remind them that they are not alone. This is particularly important for eLearning providers that primarily facilitate learning where in-person learning may not be possible. Self-study can be a lonely journey, and leaderboards address some of the space left by a lack of a classroom-based environment."

Leaderboards create social interaction and competition by comparing learners with peers using metrics tied to learning outcomes, which motivates improved performance. Ranking learners alongside similar peers reduces isolation for self-directed learners and simulates classroom social cues. Most leaderboard implementations fail when scale grows too large, causing learners to feel disconnected from the cohort. Effective leaderboard design requires aligning ranking metrics with desired outcomes and grouping learners into comparable cohorts to preserve relevance and maintain engagement in large eLearning environments.

Read at eLearning Industry