Our teaching activity at the University of Granada is delivered across several undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including the Degree in Biotechnology (subjects: Genetics and Genetic Engineering), the Degree in Biology (subjects: Genetics I and Genetics II), and the Master in Genetics and Evolution (subjects: Developmental Genetics, Genetic Analysis and Genetic Analysis Techniques). Across these programmes, our teaching approach combines solid theoretical foundations with problem-based learning, continuous assessment, and active student participation, with a strong emphasis on developing analytical skills, scientific reasoning and the ability to interpret experimental data.

In particular, the Genetics subject of the Degree in Biotechnology is delivered through a fully gamified and narrative-driven pedagogical framework designed to enhance student engagement, motivation, and sustained participation throughout the semester. Teaching and assessment activities are embedded within a fictional academic setting (the Myastara Academy in the Kingdom of Ayia), in which students are organised into small inter-provincial teams that represent the most talented students selected from each province to be trained at the Academy. Within this framework, students progress through successive academic ranks (from Apprentice to Initiate and, ultimately, Maester) by completing a structured sequence of learning challenges aligned with the core learning outcomes of the subject.

Student progress is reinforced through a system of individual and collective rewards in the form of “Power Cards”, which are awarded for outstanding performance in a range of formative and summative activities, including problem-solving tasks, high-quality contributions to thematic discussion forums, participation in in-class and workshop activities, performance in topic-based quizzes, and achievement in continuous assessment tasks and final course rankings. Team-based points foster cooperation and collective responsibility, while individual rewards recognise excellence and sustained effort. This gamified approach has been designed not merely as a motivational layer, but as an integrated instructional strategy that promotes collaborative learning, regular engagement with course content, active participation in scientific discussion, and the development of transversal skills such as teamwork, communication and self-regulated learning, while maintaining rigorous academic standards and alignment with the formal assessment criteria of the degree programme.