In the context of contemporary higher education, marked by digitalisation, the transformation of student profiles and the need for more participatory methodologies, gamification is emerging as one of the main pillars of teaching in the university field.
The collective volume Pedagogical Horizons: Gamification, Humanities, and Digital Social Sciences in Higher Education aims to explore, from an interdisciplinary perspective, how playful tactics and digital resources are constantly transforming the university pedagogical landscape. The work is particularly aimed at rethinking gamification from the humanities disciplines—such as history, philology, literature, philosophy, archaeology, visual culture, geography, or any field related to the social sciences and humanities—without neglecting its application in other educational contexts, such as teaching and teacher training.
The book seeks to highlight experiences, theoretical frameworks and case studies that analyse how gamification, video games, interactive narratives, virtual environments and methodologies specific to the digital humanities help to improve knowledge transfer and, in doing so, encourage critical thinking and greater motivation in students, in order to build meaningful learning.
Researchers, teachers, and education professionals are invited to submit contributions that reflect on the challenges, possibilities, and limitations of these innovative practices, addressing their pedagogical, ethical, cultural, and epistemological dimensions.
To ensure a specific pedagogical and conceptual purpose, ensuring a logical progression from fundamentals to applications and critical reflections, the topics we address are:
1. Theoretical foundations and critical approaches to gamification and digital humanities
• Conceptual frameworks of gamification in higher education.
• Theories of play, playfulness and learning in university contexts.
• Digital humanities: definitions, genealogies and current debates.
• Critical, epistemological and methodological perspectives.
• Relationship between technology, culture, power and knowledge in higher education.
2. Applications of gamification and digital humanities in humanistic disciplines
3. Pedagogical experiences, case studies and emerging technologies
Design of gamified learning experiences
• Digital project-based learning in the humanities
• Video games, simulations, interactive narratives and storytelling
• Virtual reality, augmented reality and immersive environments
• Artificial intelligence applied to humanities teaching
• Teacher training in innovative methodologies
4. Criticisms, challenges and future horizons of gamification and digital humanities
• Limits, risks and problematic uses of gamification in universities
• Sustainability of digital projects in the humanities
• Long-term impact on university educational models
• Future prospects for humanistic teaching in the digital age
Focus of the volume
The aim of this publication is to seek an interdisciplinary and critical approach, which involves covering diverse and complex areas of digital humanities beyond history or social studies. While existing titles tend to focus on limited didactic interventions, this volume aims to combine theoretical reflections, critical analyses and practical experiences, also incorporating debates on the application of Artificial Intelligence, accessibility and emerging technologies, in short, the entire virtual space. In this way, the work offers a comprehensive and up-to-date view of gamification in higher education, with the intention of making novel contributions to pedagogical practice in contrast to the more restricted approaches of previously published books.
Languages
Proposals are accepted in Spanish and English.
Submission of proposals
• Title of the proposal
• Abstract: 300–400 words.
• BriefCV: 100–150 words.
5 keywords.
Submission email: innovacionygamificacion@outlook.es
Subject: CFP –– Gamification Surname
Proposed schedule (you can adjust it)
• Abstract deadline: 30 April 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 15 May 2026
• Delivery of complete chapters: 30 September 2026