I learned that gamification isn’t “playing games” but deliberately using mechanics, tutorials, quests, guilds, boss battles, XP to drive learning while keeping rigor through guardrails like required assessments, caps on repeatables, and unlocks. In Nursing Fundamentals, I’ll post a five-minute sterile-field tutorial and have students replicate it with a micro-checklist. I’ll frame clear activity goals (e.g., “maintain a sterile field with zero breaks; document the wound accurately”) and run a quest sequence i.e. hand hygiene → PPE → sterile field → dressing, each with brief evidence of completion. The OSCE and SBAR handoff will be required boss battles that must be passed regardless of banked points. I’ll use a simple XP system with caps and an LMS “Skills Passport” progress bar, and I’ll award targeted badges (PPE Pro, Dosage-Calc Ninja, Documentation Ace) that students can showcase in their e-portfolios.
