THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE GAMIFIED «SIMFORMER» PLATFORM AS A TOOL FOR MOTIVATING, ENGAGING AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the effectiveness of using the mobile application with gamification elements «Simformer» in the educational process of college students majoring in «Standardization, Metrology and Certification» (by industries). In the context of the digitalization of the technical and vocational education system and the decline in students’ academic motivation, gamification is considered a promising tool for increasing engagement, cognitive activity, and the quality of theoretical knowledge acquisition. Within the framework of a pedagogical experiment, two groups were formed: a control group trained using the traditional methodology, and an experimental group that used the gamified simulation platform «Simformer», which included a point system, levels, rankings, missions, and reward mechanisms. The effectiveness assessment was carried out based on pre- and post-testing of knowledge, questionnaires, analysis of academic performance dynamics, and pedagogical observation. The research results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in academic motivation, engagement, and the level of mastery of the discipline «Formation of Consumer Culture and Product Quality» among students of the experimental group. The obtained data confirm the feasibility of implementing mobile gamified technologies in vocational education, expand the possibilities for individualizing the educational process, and contribute to the formation of sustainable learning motivation.