GAMIFICATION TO PROMOTE INTERACTION IN DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION
Abstract: The use of gamification in the educational context, assumes that learning happens in a more fun and engaging way, based on learning from interactions. In this sense, game design elements are used to promote engagement in activities. In the Distance Education environment (DL), interactions take place in virtual learning environments (VLE) and generate mediation among the authors involved in these processes, which, in turn, generate knowledge and promote learning. In this sense, the goal of this research is to identify the effectiveness of gamification in promoting interactions in a class of a distance learning mathematics course. The guiding question is: How has the gamification of a subject contributed to the promotion ofinteractions in a distance learning mathematics course? The hypothesis studied is that the use of gamification in distance learning promotes student engagement in classes, encouraging and promoting greater interactions between students and teachers. The research was carried out with students from the distance learning mathematics course at the Brazilian Open University (BOU). The data were collected in two stages. In the first stage, a survey questionnaire was used. In the second stage, an observation was made of the dialog developed in the forums of the course. The results indicate that the gamification of the distance learning mathematics course promoted interaction among students and interaction between students and teachers, stimulating the creation of a collective and fun environment for knowledge construction.Keywords: Interaction; Gamification; Higher education.