Sebiha Balci

(she/her/hers)

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology

Areas of Study

Education

  • BS, psychology, Middle East Technical University, 2004
  • MS, educational psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2009
  • PhD, educational psychology, Kent State University, 2022

Biography

I am an Educational Psychologist, and my research is dedicated to improving motivation and academic performance in online learning environments. Specifically, I focus on how gamification can be used as an effective tool to influence the behavior and motivation of learners in these digital spaces. By incorporating game design elements, such as badges, leaderboards, and freedom of choice, I search for ways to make online learning more engaging and motivating for students.

I apply well-established motivation theories like self-determination theory or goal-setting theory in my work. Through this lens, I investigate how these theories can be practically applied to online learning platforms to create environments that support and enhance students’ intrinsic motivation and learning outcomes.

Balci, S., Secaur, J. M., & Morris, B. J. (2022). Comparing the effectiveness of badges and leaderboards on academic performance and motivation of students in fully versus partially gamified online physics classes. Education and Information Technologies, 27, 8669–8704. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10983-z

Morris, B. J., Dragovich, C., Todaro, R., Balci, S., & Dalton, E. (2019). Comparing badges and learning goals in low- and high-stakes learning contexts. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09228-9

Fall 2024

Educational Psychology — PSYC 226

Spring 2025

Educational Psychology — PSYC 226
Seminar in Educational Psychology: Online Education and Gamification — PSYC 424

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