From smileys to Smiley coins -using a crypto currency in education

Abstract

This paper describes a crypto currency to reward students for their studies. The currency bears the apt name Smiley coin or SMLY and is used within the tutor-web online learning platform. In order to make the SMLY more attractive several approaches have been used, including support from companies whose services can be purchased for SMLY. The paper describes the use of the SMLY as a reward mechanism in a large undergraduate calculus course, including student adoption, student use of SMLY and abuse tracking.