System and method for determining engagement in collaborative software applications

A computer-implemented method for determining and improving engagement in a virtual collaborative event, comprising:

• (a) conducting the virtual collaborative event by a video conferencing software application running on a conferencing server;
• (b) collecting by a software application running on a backend server from participant client devices, non-visual interaction data generated during the virtual collaborative event, wherein the non-visual behavioral data includes at least one of:
• chat interactions, emoji selections, user-interface clicks, screen-sharing interactions, and motion data from augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) sensors;
• (c) calculating, by the software application running on the backend server, a real-time engagement score for each participant using, an engagement-detection algorithm that converts the non-visual interaction data into quantitative engagement metrics using weighted coefficients corresponding to interaction type;
• (d) transmitting, by the backend server, the real-time engagement scores to a host interface having an interactive dashboard that displays a dynamic visualization of overall and individual participation levels;
• and
• (e) rewarding one or more gamification-based engagement incentives based on the individual engagement scores by the host, wherein the engagement incentives comprise at least one of:
• progressive levels, leaderboard rankings, points, coins, boosts, achievement badges, or unlockable digital rewards.