Gamification and stress management as strategies to strengthen pedagogical competencies in TENS training

Abstract

Technical health programs show high failure and dropout rates linked to content overload and academic stress; in the course “Care in Child and Adolescent Health” within the Technical Nursing Program (TENS), failure, withdrawal and sustained distress were observed. To tackle this, a Teaching Innovation Project implemented a Google Classroom virtual classroom with gamified learning paths, missions and immediate feedback; and micro-strategies for emotional regulation, delivered as a faculty training program during the winter semester of 2025. The initiative was validated by five experts, achieved 100 % workshop attendance, and satisfaction surveys revealed unanimous appreciation of its relevance and usefulness for teaching practice and student well-being, supporting its potential for scaling and replication in other technical higher-education contexts.