https://academic-publishing.org/index.php/ejel <p><strong>The Electronic Journal of e-Learning (EJEL)</strong> provides pedagogical, learning and educational perspectives on topics relevant to the study, implementation and management of e-learning initiatives. EJEL has published regular issues since 2003 and averages between 5 and 6 issues a year.<br /><br />The journal contributes to the development of both theory and practice in the field of e-learning. The Editorial team consider academically robust papers and welcome empirical research, case studies, action research, theoretical discussions, literature reviews and other work which advances learning in this field. All papers are double-blind peer reviewed.</p> Academic Publishing International en-US Electronic Journal of e-Learning 1479-4403 <p><strong>Open Access Publishing</strong></p> <p>The Electronic Journal of e-Learning operates an Open Access Policy. This means that users can read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the <em>full texts</em> of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, is that authors control the integrity of their work, which should be properly acknowledged and cited.</p> https://academic-publishing.org/index.php/ejel/article/view/3618 <p>In the current educational environment, e-learning and online education have gained significant prominence, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when their importance increased dramatically. Empirical evidence highlights the undeniable benefits of online learning, with learners globally appreciating the flexibility to access course materials at their convenience, free from geographic or time constraints. Despite many companies’ efforts to support online education, some educators are hesitant to adopt this new approach fully. Their concerns revolve around whether online instruction can match traditional classroom teaching's effectiveness, coupled with worries about the financial costs involved in transitioning and the extensive work needed to digitise course materials. Despite these challenges, the integration of plug-ins such as gamification plugins emerges as a transformative force in online education. Gamification plug-ins play a crucial role in infusing gamified elements and mechanics into online courses or digital content, thereby enhancing engagement, motivation, and overall learning experiences. Gamification involves applying game design principles, such as points, badges, leaderboards, challenges, and rewards, to non-game contexts like education or business. In contemporary application, gamification has evolved to include explicit game elements such as quizzes, puzzles, narratives, and mini-game techniques as complementary components in enhancing existing online learning environments. By integrating gamification plug-ins into e-learning platforms or content, educators can create a more interactive and enjoyable learning environment, ultimately leading to improved retention and participation. Thus, in the face of the challenges posed by the transition to online learning, strategically incorporating gamification plug-ins presents a promising approach to addressing concerns regarding efficacy and learner engagement in virtual classrooms. This paper aims to explore the efficacy of specific gamification plug-ins through the evaluation of open-source gamification plug-ins from a user-centric perspective, focusing on their usability and appropriateness. By employing both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, the research seeks to uncover the reasons behind user preferences and prioritise the plug-ins that best support engagement and functionality in their intended applications. Specifically, the study includes an in-depth review of the relevant literature on gamification in education to position the current investigation within a broader academic context. The gamification tools are assessed by VET trainers, learners, and other stakeholders across five European countries—Poland, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom (n=258)—to address the need for practical, effective, and open-source gamification solutions compatible with popular LMS/CMS platforms. This study advances the field by offering a systematic analysis of widely used gamification plug-ins and providing new insights into how these tools can be applied to foster learner engagement. By situating the findings in the context of prior research, this paper highlights how gamification contributes to learning outcomes in ways that have not been sufficiently explored, filling an existing gap in the literature. The research questions aim to identify the most user-friendly open-source plug-ins for gamification and determine their usefulness in creating interactive learning content. Ultimately, these insights can inform the design of more engaging e-learning platforms, improving retention and participation rates.</p> Ludmiła Walaszczyk Sylvester Arnab Copyright (c) 2025 Ludmiła Walaszczyk, Sylvester Arnab https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2025-01-10 2025-01-10 23 1 10.34190/ejel.23.1.3618