Uso de gamificação em aulas de Bioquímica como ferramenta de engajamento e motivação no ensino superior

The traditional teaching methodology has been ineffective in stimulating the interest of students, a problem that gets worse when teaching biochemistry, which seems like an abstract and complex course. One strategy of didactic intervention that is being suggested in the past few years is Gamification. In this work, game concepts were used to develop a mechanic in which the students acquire points when they take specific actions during the semester, that can be spent in a shop that sells benefits which can affect their performances. The gamified course was applied to students of the Biotechnology major at Universidade Federal do Para. The students’ motivation was analyzed using a questionnaire, which evaluated the subjective experience of participants, that considered the course interesting, pleasant and fun. This methodology is presented as a complement to other teaching methods, with simple, flexible and costless implementation.