Effectiveness of using digital activity trackers and gamification in the physical education course to increase engagement and aerobic endurance level

Abstract

The article examines the digital transformation of university physical education through the integration of wearable activity trackers and a gamified reward system oriented towards physiologically justified load dosing by heart rate zones. Against the background of declining student motivation and the prevalence of hypodynamia, a model is proposed in which real-time objective biosignals form the basis of process control, and game mechanics interpreted within the logic of self-determination theory support experiences of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. A pedagogical experiment involving 248 first- and second-year students of non-physical education majors, randomized into control and experimental groups with comparable gender composition and mean age of 18.7 years, is described; the intervention lasted 16 weeks. The experimental group used fitness trackers with optical pulse meters and accelerometers synchronized with a mobile platform that converts time spent in target heart rate zones into «experience», levels, achievements, and rankings; the control group followed a standard program with palpatory heart rate monitoring. It is shown that linking point accrual to time in the developmental aerobic load zone changes behavioral patterns, increasing lesson motor density (up to 76,84%) and MVPA duration (up to 41.72 min), as well as average heart rate (up to 144.3 bpm) with statistically significant differences. Pronounced adaptive shifts were recorded: increase in PWC170 to 989.4 kgm/min, relative VO2max to 42.03 ml/min/kg, and Ruffier index improvement to 6.42 arbitrary units, whereas in the control group the dynamics were non-significant. Psychometric indicators of engagement and satisfaction in the experimental group significantly increased with reduced variability of assessments, indicating consolidation of the motivational profile. Correlation analysis revealed high consistency of game metrics with physiological progress (e.g., r=0.784 between total points and VO2max gain) and a close link between ranking and attendance. The limitations of mechanistic gamification and the importance of valid point accrual rules are discussed, as well as the potential of personalized trajectories and further integration of data arrays with intelligent systems, with the need for longer observations to assess effect sustainability.