Game-based CE courses make learning fun for professionals

For most accounting, finance and tax professionals continuing education courses are a requirement of the job. But continuing education courses don’t have to be boring. Are you tired of traditional approaches to learning? Are you bored by lectures or zone out easily when watching recorded videos? Today’s accounting and finance professionals need CPE/CE credits for their job. But wouldn’t it be nice if there was a more interactive and engaging way of learning?

That’s why Surgent is one of the first course providers in the market to offer game-based CPE/CE course options to make learning more fun and engaging. Gamification has been shown to be tremendously effective in educational settings, e-learning settings and even for companies using it to train employees.

Gamification, or interactive CPE/CE courses, is about motivating learners with engaging and relevant content by creating a more hands-on learning experience. Gamification techniques tailor game mechanics and motivational methods to help increase engagement and aid in helping learners retain the information or concepts they are being taught.

What is gamification?

Think of gamification as the integration of game thinking and game mechanics into non-game experiences to create increased levels of engagement.

Gamification works because learners are increasingly fatigued by traditional approaches to engagement and are looking for a more rewarding and enjoyable experience. Gamification is being applied to a variety of tasks to enhance the enjoyment of the people involved in doing them. One of the advantages of gamification is that enjoyment is created by making tasks more engaging and interesting to complete. In turn, this increases people’s motivation to complete them.

The gamification theory is that people learn best when they are also having fun. They learn best when they have goals, targets and achievements to accomplish.

Because of the addictive features of video games that intrigue children (and adults), many companies and institutions are seeing similar engagement results when these game-based elements are applied to learning materials.

Benefits of gamification

Gamification works because learners are increasingly fatigued by traditional approaches to engagement and are looking for a more rewarding and enjoyable experience. There are many benefits for learners to incorporate gamification into how they consume and retain information. Here are some of the benefits of gamification:

Makes learning fun and interactive. Regardless of your audience or subject matter, the gamification of learning can help you create exciting, educational and entertaining content. The interactivity of gamification makes learning informative and exciting.

Gives learners the opportunity to see real-world applications. Learning on the job can be an effective way of cementing skills by applying them to practical scenarios. The gamification of learning allows learners to see the real-world applications and benefits of the subject matter. Learners get a first-hand look at how their choices within the game result in consequences or rewards.

Offers real-time feedback. The gamification of learning allows employees to work toward real-time, measurable, meaningful targets and get upper-level feedback as those targets are achieved. After all, you’re never going to improve if you can’t find out what you need to do better.

Enhances the learning experience. Gamification offers the opportunity for learners to engage with content in an effective, informal learning environment. If learners get excited about learning, they are more likely to retain information. Gamification makes learning more engaging and enjoyable for learners.

All of these factors work to make the learning experience more compelling for learners. Gamification works because it triggers real, powerful human emotions such as happiness, intrigue, excitement and accomplishment. All around the world, companies and institutions are using gamification with tremendous results.

How is Surgent using gamification?

Surgent has created a new line of short, immersive, game-based CPE/CE courses, known as Surgent Interactive, that provide high-impact education experiences.

Surgent Interactive courses leverage active learning elements to keep accounting, tax and financial professionals engaged and having fun while earning CPE/CE credit. Our “learner-first” approach allows learners to choose how they want to learn – at their own pace. Game-based CPE/CE courses are designed for tax practitioners desiring an interactive approach to learning the latest tax legislation, including CPAs, EAs and tax preparers.

Surgent Interactive offers immersive, game-based CE courses that are designed to help individuals learn faster while having fun. They are designed to:

Ignite learner engagement
Increase skill development
Stimulate critical thinking
Identify skill gaps immediately, allowing for course correction
Increase knowledge retention through stickier learning
Boost assessment performance

Learners are fully engaged in various tasks and challenges, rather than passively consuming course content.

How does Surgent Interactive work?

Surgent Interactive courses feature real-world scenarios in a gamified, interactive simulation. We have created two game-based series for accounting and finance professionals to earn CPE/CE credit. Max the Tax is our first series of CPE/CE courses. In this series, learners are tasked with interviewing various taxpayers and adjusting their tax returns based on their answers and knowledge of tax laws. In each game, learners score points based on the quality of their interview and the accuracy of the adjustments they make. Each course features real-world scenarios in a gamified, interactive simulation and enables learners to:

Investigate and review. Learners examine resources, make observations and accumulate information about taxpayers.
Interview and verify. Learners meet with taxpayers to validate claims and uncover new information that may drive results and future actions.

Apply skills. Learners use information they gathered and verified to fulfill tasks before submitting their work.
Assess. Upon completion of the game, learners take a final examination to earn CPE/CE credit based on their knowledge of the topics and skills addressed in each game.

Surging Auditors is the second series of courses within Surgent Interactive. Learners encounter real-world situations that require their knowledge of inventory procedures, professional skepticism and making ethical decisions to accurately audit companies. In each game, points are scored by asking relevant questions, identifying errors and asserting proper follow-up procedures for the situations.