Innovative strategies for distance learning: gamification, serious play, and Miro in the development of project management competencies

Abstract

The transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for higher education, particularly in maintaining student engagement and developing professional project management competencies. This paper examines how integrating Miro, a digital collaboration tool, with gamification techniques and serious play methodologies addresses these challenges within an online project management module. Miro’s platform facilitates real-time collaboration, whilst gamification elements and digitally adapted serious play recreate experiential learning environments typically found in face-to-face settings. Our findings suggest that Miro enhanced student engagement, allowing for effective idea sharing, real-time knowledge exchange, and improved task organisation. Gamification elements, such as badges and certificates, motivated active participation, though some students experienced cognitive overload and mental fatigue due to prolonged screen time and fragmented attention. Additionally, limitations in the digital adaptation of serious play, particularly the absence of hands-on engagement, impacted kinaesthetic learning and creativity. In response, we introduce the Digital Learning Ecosystem framework, which emphasises the balance between digital engagement, cognitive load, and student well-being. This framework underpins practical recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of digital tools such as Miro, gamification, and serious play in fostering engagement and developing competencies in online learning environments.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Nicholas Dacre: orcid.org/0000-0002-9667-9331

ORCID for Hao Dong: orcid.org/0000-0002-3458-4986

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