I believe that learning shouldn’t be boring or a one-way content delivery process. Instead, it should be an experience that engages, involves, and inspires the learner. The same principle applies to self-paced learning, whether online or offline; it should be interactive, engaging, and above all, enjoyable. The learning process itself should feel like a journey where learners don’t just consume information but actively participate, make decisions, and discover the material in a fun way that encourages problem-solving, exploration, and collaboration.
With this belief, I helped to design the self-paced course Introduction to Coding with Scratch for Teachers at Edutab Africa. As one of the instructional designers, I worked closely with a team of content creators, designers, and facilitators to ensure the course was not only accessible but also enjoyable and practical for teachers across different learning environments.
The course focused on helping educators understand the fundamentals of Scratch while exploring ways it can support Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) delivery in the classroom. My team and I incorporated game-based learning elements that made the course feel more like an exploration than a dry content lesson.
While some may confuse gamification with game-based learning, there’s a key difference. Gamification incorporates game elements, such as points and rewards, into non-game contexts, whereas game-based learning utilises actual games or game-like mechanics as the primary learning process. This course leaned into game-based learning.
One feature that stood out was the use of video demonstrations, which showed step-by-step guidelines for creating animations and games in Scratch, allowing teachers to follow along, pause, and try things out at their own pace. Alongside the videos, we used flipcards—simple yet powerful tools that made learning interactive. These weren’t just for memorising definitions but were used to guide decision-making and simulate classroom scenarios. The course design gave them the confidence to experiment and imagine how these activities could be adapted to their own subjects and learners.
Additionally, we applied the same approach using physical versions of robotic games, story-based games, drawing on flipcharts, and collaborative challenges during face-to-face workshops. I was happy to see the teachers actively participate, share experiences, and reflect on how the game-based approach shifted their classroom dynamics. Many shared that their students became more engaged, especially those who would normally remain quiet or detached in a traditional lesson. The games created a sense of involvement and ownership. Students began to see learning as something fun and rewarding—something they could play through, not just sit through.
This shift was possible because the team and I made sure everything, from content to format, served the goal of transforming learning into a personalized and participatory experience. My thoughtful coordination and hands-on support were instrumental in shaping the environment where teachers felt more prepared, not just in coding, but in designing lessons that are dynamic, teacher-centered, and relevant. The course demonstrated that with the right structure and mindset, even complex subjects like coding can be made approachable, fun, and deeply meaningful through game-based learning.
Working on this self-paced course has been a journey of learning, growth and discovery. I’m proud of the impact we’ve made in helping educators feel more confident and creative with coding. But this is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing more teachers embrace game-based learning, not just as a technique, but as a mindset that transforms lessons into adventures and classrooms into communities of curious explorers.
Written by Jane Kimani, Data Scientist/Instructional Designer, Edutab Africa.