Online flipped and gamification classroom: Risks and opportunities for the academic achievement of adult sustainable learning during COVID-19 pandemic

The online traditional and the online flipped classroom approaches have been adopted worldwide in higher education during the prolonged city lockdowns. Research has suggested that gamification is a technopedagogy which can be integrated into these approaches to promote learning outcomes. Hence, this study aims to uncover various risks and opportunities involved in adopting the online flipped and gamified classroom approaches, especially in terms of their impact on academic achievement, for ensuring sustainable adult education during the pandemic. We conducted a mixed-method study grounded in self-determination theory and adult learning principles, in which learners enrolled in a postgraduate business management programme were divided into three instructional conditions for one module: a gamified online flipped class (GOFC, n = 25), a nongamified online flipped class (NOFC, n = 24), and a gamified online traditional class (GOTC, n = 19). Quantitative and qualitative data from the learners, teachers, and teaching assistants were collected and analysed to compare academic achievement across the classes. Contrary to the expectations of gamification proponents, the learners in the nongamified online flipped class significantly outperformed those in the two gamified online classes. Qualitative findings revealed that technical support, professional training for teachers, and building learners’ sense of belonging to their classes were necessary to ensure the sustainability of learning in fully online classes. The findings, thus, have important implications for the effective implementation of these pedagogical approaches in adult education programmes in a fully online environment. Copyright © 2022 by the authors.