Gamification in Education: An Effective Strategy to Improve the Learning Experience

Gamification has proven to be an effective strategy in distance learning, because it encourages student engagement through rewards, such as badges and points (XP), recognizing participation in a variety of activities, such as debates, lectures, workshops, forum interaction, social media actions, completed assignments and passing the theory exams.

In addition, gamification creates a sense of belonging to the Nepuga community, which increases postgraduate students' interest in the course and improves their academic performance.

Nepuga is currently developing a gamification project exclusive to its courses and specializations, aiming to provide the best possible experience to postgraduate students. This project is in the testing and adjustment phase, with the goal of creating an interactive virtual environment that stimulates study and drives students toward academic success.

Any reproduction or copying of this idea by third parties will be considered copyright infringement and may result in legal penalties.

With gamification, it is possible to segment courses into specific topics, giving students a clearer and more meaningful journey through the postgraduate program. This approach also makes it possible to monitor each student's performance and interactivity, identifying potential problems and improving the learning experience.

To make this division more intuitive, the courses are categorized by color, as shown in the table below.

Nepuga values student engagement and active participation, seeking to offer a unique and distinctive distance-learning experience through an innovative methodology.

COURSES	COLORS
Aesthetic Biology	Blue
Aesthetic Biomedicine	Dark green
Aesthetic Nursing	Lilac
Aesthetic Pharmacy	Light green
Aesthetic Health	Aqua green
Injectable Aesthetics	Salmon
Clinical Ozone Therapy	Cyan blue
Quantum Naturopathy	Orange
Orofacial Harmonization and Surgery	Burgundy

Besides creating a stimulating and motivating environment for students, gamification can turn tasks into a greater purpose. This approach makes it possible to track each student's individual progress and offer rewards for every stage reached, encouraging them to achieve ever better results and clearly see the progress of the course. Offering an environment that provides meaning and motivation to learn makes the students' journey more satisfying and rewarding.

For students to receive badges, physical prizes or advance to the next level, they must meet certain requirements, such as active participation and attendance. The best students will be awarded at the end of each module, based on criteria such as the minimum number of points and badges accumulated, in addition to other criteria to be discussed later. Each module consists of a set of subjects taught throughout the course, which are:

LEVEL	MODULE	SUBJECTS
1	1	Anatomophysiology
1	1	Semiology
2	1	Electrotherapy
2	1	Biosafety
3	1	Ozone Therapy
3	1	Pharmacology
4	2	Injectables
4	2	PRP and PRF
5	2	Cosmetology
5	2	Peels
6	2	Coaching
6	2	Laser Therapy
7	3	Pugacode Facial Harmonization – Botulinum Toxin and Fillers
7	3	Pugacode Facial Harmonization – Threads and Biostimulators
8	4	Aesthetic Complications
8	4	Ordering and Interpreting Lab Tests
9	4	Business Fundamentals
9	4	Clinical Protocol Combinations
10	4	Aesthetic Law
10	4	Body Harmonization

The table below describes the badges for each module and their corresponding points.

BADGE	TITLE	COMPLETION RULE	DAILY BONUS	POINTS
	Pass List	For those who completed all the Theory Exams of Module 2	150	150
	Wisdom of the Month: Aesthetic Injectable Procedures	For those who completed the Aesthetic Injectable Procedures theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: PRP and PRF	For those who completed the PRP and PRF theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Cosmetology	For those who completed the Cosmetology theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Peels	For those who completed the Peels theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Nutrition Coaching	For those who completed the Nutrition Coaching theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Laser Therapy	For those who completed the Laser Therapy theory exam	150	100
	Standout Student of Module 2	For those who placed first in the ranking	150	300
	Module 2 Top 3	For those who placed among the top 3 in the ranking	150	250
	Module 2 Top 10 Ranking	For those who placed among the top 10 in the ranking	150	200
	Module 2, check!	For those who completed module 2.	150	100
	Halfway There	For those who completed the Peels or Cosmetology and Trichology subject	150	150
	Study Focus	For those who logged in to Moodle 7 days in a row	150	150
	Junior	For those who started module 2	150	150
	Zombie	You have completed 300 hours of access on the Study Portal	150	150
	Clearing Up Doubts	Our tutor is always ready to answer any questions about the content!	150	100
	Success Story	Stories that inspire: you have just sent us your professional journey for Success Stories	150	150
	Afternoon Person	For those who logged in to the Study Portal between 12:00 p.m. and 6:59 p.m.	150	150
	Social Media	For those who completed a social media task linked to Nepuga's Instagram profile	150	150
	TOTAL POINTS			5600

BADGE	TITLE	COMPLETION RULE	DAILY BONUS	POINTS
	Puga Method	For those who completed all the Theory Exams of Module 3	150	150
	Wisdom of the Month: Pugacode Facial Harmonization – Botulinum Toxin and Fillers	For those who completed the Pugacode Facial Harmonization – Botulinum Toxin and Fillers theory exam	150	150
	Wisdom of the Month: Pugacode Facial Harmonization – Threads and Biostimulators	For those who completed the Pugacode Facial Harmonization – Threads and Biostimulators theory exam	150	100
	Standout Student of Module 3	For those who placed first in the ranking	150	300
	Module 3 Top 3	For those who placed among the top 3 in the ranking	150	250
	Module 3 Top 10 Ranking	For those who placed among the top 10 in the ranking	150	200
	Module 3, check!	For those who completed module 3	150	100
	Mid-level	For those who started module 3	150	200
	Wizard Master	For those who do NOT log in to the Study Portal for 7 days	150	10
	On Call	You have completed 800 hours of access on the Study Portal	150	200
	Puga Code	I shared my Nepuguetty on the forum	150	150
	Best Nepuguetty	I won the Best Nepuguetty contest	150	300
	Best Nepuguetty Contest Top 3 – 2nd place	I placed second in the contest	150	250
	Best Nepuguetty Contest Top 3 – 3rd place	I placed third in the contest	150	200
	Adapting the Routine	For those who logged in to the Study Portal between 7:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.	150	150
	Nepuga Student	For those who watched the workshops and lectures posted on the YouTube channel	150	200
	TOTAL POINTS			5260

BADGE	TITLE	COMPLETION RULE	DAILY BONUS	POINTS
	Theory Up to Date	For those who completed all the Theory Exams of the course	150	300
	Specialist	For those who completed all the Theory Exams of Module 4	150	150
	Wisdom of the Month: Aesthetic Complications	For those who completed the Aesthetic Complications theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Ordering and Interpreting Lab Tests	For those who completed the Ordering and Interpreting Lab Tests theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Business Fundamentals	For those who completed the Business Fundamentals theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Protocol Combinations	For those who completed the Protocol Combinations theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Clinical Law in Aesthetics	For those who completed the Clinical Law in Aesthetics theory exam	150	100
	Wisdom of the Month: Body Harmonization – Pugacode Body	For those who completed the Body Harmonization – Pugacode Body theory exam	150	100
	Standout Student of Module 4	For those who placed first in the ranking	150	300
	Module 4 Top 3	For those who placed among the top 3 in the ranking	150	250
	Module 4 Top 10 Ranking	For those who placed among the top 10 in the ranking	150	200
	Module 4, check!	For those who completed module 4	150	100
	In Sync	For those who logged in to the Study Portal 10 days in a row	150	150
	Class Standout	For those who earned all the badges	150	300
	Senior	For those who started module 4	150	250
	Zoom Class	You have just completed all the live Zoom classes	150	300
	Video Lesson	You have watched all the video lessons in the course	150	200
	Heart to Heart	For those who listened to Dr. Ana Carolina Puga's podcast	150	150
	Bear Hug	For those who took part in the “Friend Refers Friend” campaign	150	150
	Clinical Immersions	For those who completed all the clinical immersion bookings	150	200
	Early Bird	For those who logged in to the Study Portal between 12:00 a.m. and 4:59 a.m.	150	150
	Traveler	For those who booked 12 consecutive days of clinical immersion	150	200
	Digging Deeper into the Content	For those who read all the course e-books	150	200
	Micro-certificate	For those who downloaded all the micro-certificates available in the postgraduate program	150	200
	TOTAL POINTS			7950

For data analysis, we will use a custom ranking with tiebreaker criteria designed for each postgraduate program, which include:

• Attendance at live Zoom classes;
• Participation in each subject's forums;
• Number of attempts needed to reach the passing average on the theory exam;
• Booking of clinical immersions;
• Number of booking cancellations;
• Submission date of the Complementary Practical Activities;
• Grade on the Complementary Practical Activities;
• Grades on the theory exams for Facial Harmonization – Pugacode® Face – Threads and Biostimulators, Facial Harmonization – Pugacode® Face – Botulinum Toxin and Fillers, Aesthetic Injectable Procedures, PRP and PRF, and Body Harmonization – Pugacode® Body;
• Issue date of the completion certificate;
• Number of Social Media Tasks completed;
• Number of badges earned.

Below are the tables with the distribution of points for three types of ranking: overall/annual, by specialization and by class.

OVERALL/ANNUAL

ANNUAL PLACE	SCORE	CRITERION USED (based on the maximum score, which is 26,360 xp)
1st	25,000	25,000 XP
2nd	24,000	25,000 – 1,000 XP
3rd	23,000	25,000 – 2,000 XP
4th	22,000	25,000 – 3,000 XP
5th	21,000	25,000 – 4,000 XP
6th	20,000	25,000 – 5,000 XP
7th	19,000	25,000 – 6,000 XP
8th	18,000	25,000 – 7,000 XP
9th	17,000	25,000 – 8,000 XP
10th	16,000	25,000 – 9,000 XP

PLACE	SCORE	CRITERION USED
1st	10,490	40% (relative to the total of 26,360 XP)
2nd	6,820	25% (relative to the total of 26,360 XP)
3rd	4,170	16% (relative to the total of 26,360 XP)
4th	2,170	8% (relative to the total of 26,360 XP)
5th	1,080	5% (relative to the total of 26,360 XP)

PLACE	SCORE	CRITERION USED
1st	7,950	Maximum score reached between M1 and M4
2nd	6,590	Average of the total scores of M1 and M4
3rd	5,260	Minimum score reached between M1 and M4
		LEGEND M1 = Module 1 M2 = Module 2 M3 = Module 3 M4 = Module 4

Prizes will be awarded based on points and the number of badges accumulated, as well as the level the student has reached.

	PRIZES	DESCRIPTION	SCORE
1		Lab coat + cap with the Nepuga logo	10,000 XP
2		Personalized tutoring with Dr. Ana Carolina Puga	9,500 XP
3		Honor plaque	9,000 XP
4		Printed completion certificate	8,000 XP
5		Exclusive discount for taking a second specialization	7,000 XP
6		Tasting menu of the institution's non-free content (7 days	6,000 XP
7		Publication of the student's own work or article on the Nepuga website	5,500 XP
8		Book	5,000 XP
9		Class standout: bag with notebook, pencil case, pen and water bottle customized with the Nepuga logo	4,000 XP
10		Funko Pop	3,000 XP
11		Estética Bio voucher	2,200 XP
12		Intermediate kit: bag + water bottle customized with the institution's logo	1,800 XP
13		Notebook	1,000 XP
14		Hands-on kit: toiletry bag with measuring tape, skinfold caliper and hand sanitizer gel	900 XP
15		Basic kit: notepad with pen + mug customized with the institution's logo	800 XP
16		Insulated lunch bag	700 XP
17		Customized pencil case	600 XP
18		Pen	500 XP
19		Mug	450 XP
20		Mask with the Nepuga logo	350 XP
21		Keychain	250 XP
22		Buttons	200 XP
23		Badges	150 XP

Note: The table above is illustrative and subject to change.

Below is a mock-up of the ranking that will make all the data available to students.

RANKING	STUDENT	MODULE	SCORE	PROGRESS
1st	Student 1		25,000 XP
2nd	Student 2		24,000 XP
3rd	Student 3		23,000 XP
4th	Student 4		22,000 XP
5th	Student 5		21,000 XP
6th	Student 6		20,000 XP
7th	Student 7		19,000 XP
8th	Student 8		18,000 XP
9th	Student 9		17,000 XP
10th	Student 10		16,000 xp

Study Schedule and Automated Messages

The study schedule is an important tool to help postgraduate students complete the theory exam within the deadline set by the academic calendar. It provides a detailed study plan for each subject, allowing students to set goals, monitor their progress and identify gaps in their learning.

The schedule is sent by email and triggered with the help of RD-Station.

In addition to the schedule, automated messages are another valuable tool in distance learning. They let students know when they have completed tasks or reached goals, encouraging them to keep learning and recognizing their efforts. Automated messages also allow teachers to track students' progress and identify needs for updating or improving the course content. Below are some of the messages created by our team.

• Subject available on the Study Portal

‍ Hello <NAME>;

We inform you that the <SUBJECT> subject is available on the Study Portal.

Take the chance to start studying!

Enjoy your class. ‍ ‍

• Live Zoom Class Reminder

‍ Hello, <NAME>!

On Saturday, <DATE>, we will have a <SUBJECT> class on Zoom. ‍ ‍

The broadcast will be live, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Brasília time).

This is the perfect opportunity to interact with your classmates and clear up questions with the professor.

We look forward to seeing you. See you soon!

• Instructions for accessing the Zoom link on class day

‍ Hello, <NAME>!

Follow these instructions to join today's class via Zoom:

1st Find the ZOOM icon in the sidebar;

2nd Select the subject with a scheduled class;

3rd Press the “WATCH ZOOM CLASS” button;

4th Click “JOIN MEETING”.

Now all that is left is to wait for the class to start!

Happy studying! ‍ ‍

• Theory exam available on the Study Portal

‍ Hello, <NAME>!

The <SUBJECT> THEORY EXAM is now available on the STUDY PORTAL. You have 30 calendar days, starting TODAY, to complete it.

Go to “MY SUBJECTS,” <SUBJECT> and click “THEORY EXAM.”

Good luck on your exam.

• Deadline to complete the theory exam – 15 days before

ATTENTION: You have 15 more days to take the <SUBJECT> THEORY EXAM.

Remember that if you do not complete it WITHIN THE DEADLINE, which ends on <DD/MM/YYYY>, the THEORY EXAM will be CLOSED on the STUDY PORTAL and you will need to request the MAKEUP through a REQUEST on the STUDENT PORTAL.

• Deadline to complete the theory exam – 1 day before

ATTENTION: Today is the last day to take the <SUBJECT> theory exam.

Remember that if you do not complete it within the deadline, which ends tomorrow, the exam will be closed on the Study Portal and you will have to request a makeup through a request on the Student Portal.

• Access to the theory exam after the completion deadline

ATTENTION: The DEADLINE to take the <SUBJECT> THEORY EXAM has ENDED. 

To take the exam in the second round, you need to go to the STUDENT PORTAL, then select the REGISTRAR option, then click REQUESTS, SUBMIT REQUEST and choose the UNEXCUSED ONLINE ASSESSMENT MAKEUP option.

• Digital micro-certificate download

Congratulations on completing and passing the <SUBJECT> theory exam! ✅

You can now download the MICRO-CERTIFICATE on the STUDY PORTAL. Just select the “MICRO-CERTIFICATE / CONGRATULATION LETTER” option in the sidebar, choose the subject you want and download the file.

Remember that the MICRO-CERTIFICATE helps complete the 120 hours required in the Complementary Practical Activities subject.

• Clinical immersion booking

ATTENTION: Do not wait. Book your CLINICAL IMMERSION for step <STEP> now.

If you need help booking, watch our Video Tutorial – Booking Clinical Immersions .

We wish you a great journey.

• Theory exam grade

ATTENTION: The GRADE for the <SUBJECT> theory exam is available on the Study Portal. To check your result, open the left sidebar menu and look for “GRADES.”

• Booking confirmation

Congratulations on booking your CLINICAL IMMERSION for step <STEP>. ️

The class will be on <DD/MM/YYYY>, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Brasília time), in <CHOSEN CITY>.

If you have questions about the class, see the Student Manual – Clinical Immersion.

• Module completion

Congratulations on completing <MODULE>! ✅

On <DD/MM/YYYY>, the syllabus content for the first subject of <MODULE> will be made available on the Study Portal. ️

We wish you a great journey.

• Completion of the theory portion

Congratulations, you have just completed <MODULE>, the last theory stage of the course! ✅

This journey was not easy, but you learned a lot along the way. Now it is time to use the knowledge you have gained to improve your professional career. See this moment as a new opportunity to grow, seek new experiences and develop new skills. You are capable of achieving your goals, so go after your dreams and fight for what you want. We are confident you will find success along the way. Do not give up, and keep moving forward until you reach your goals.

Always remember that true success is in your hands.

Conclusion

In short, gamification is an excellent strategy to make the teaching and learning process more dynamic, interactive and effective. By adopting this approach, educational institutions can offer students a more engaging and enriching experience, preparing them for the challenges of the job market and of life in general. It is an innovative and effective approach that can make a difference in education and in building a more educated society that is prepared for the future.

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