Critical Reading & Gamification for National Assessment

Project Overview

This project supported Colombia’s national education goals by integrating critical reading, gamification, and large-scale assessment. Through two key roles—as Item Writer and Learning Experience Designer—I contributed to the development of engaging, equitable learning tools aligned with the SABER 11 and SABER PRO exams. The initiative culminated in the creation of digital materials and interactive platforms like Gimnasio del Saber, designed to prepare students across the country for academic success.

Learning Objectives

Strengthen critical reading skills aligned with Colombia’s national curriculum and standardized exams (SABER 11 and SABER PRO).
Increase student motivation through interactive and gamified digital learning tools.
Promote equity in assessment access by providing free, self-paced resources for diverse student populations.

Target Audience

Secondary and university-level students preparing for national standardized tests in Colombia.
Public school educators and assessment specialists seeking to integrate reading strategy instruction and test preparation.
Curriculum designers working within large-scale education systems aiming to align instruction with evaluation.

Instructional Design Approach

Learner-centered: Tools designed to promote student autonomy, engagement, and mastery through self-paced reading challenges.
Gamified learning: Implementation of reward systems, progress tracking, and interactive narratives to support student persistence.
Assessment-aligned: All content and activities aligned with national reading descriptors, item-writing rubrics, and test specifications.
UDL-Informed: Designed with principles of accessibility and multimodal engagement to support diverse learners.

Project Flow

Curriculum & Standard Alignment

Reviewed national standards and test specifications to identify cognitive demands at different grade levels.
Item Development & Review

Designed multiple-choice reading items for SABER exams following psychometric guidelines and contextual relevance.
Digital Resource Design

Developed gamified practice tools and user-facing learning guides (e.g., Gimnasio del Saber).
Piloting & Feedback

Collected feedback from early users and refined items, instructions, and activities accordingly.
Deployment & Dissemination

Resources published nationally by the Ministry of Education and integrated into digital learning platforms.

Strategy Mapping

Design Element	Purpose
National Alignment	Ensure coherence with Colombia’s Ministry of Education
UDL Design	Address diverse learner needs and accessibility goals
Standardized Item Writing	Ensure reliability, fairness, and assessment validity
Reading Strategy Scaffolds	Support skill transfer across academic domains
Gamified Tasks	Boost motivation, reduce test anxiety, increase effort

External Link

Official Press Release – Ministry of Education (Gimnasio del Saber)

Reflection as an Instructional Designer

This project bridged my two core passions: equity in education and instructional design. It sharpened my ability to integrate large-scale testing goals with student-centered, interactive learning. Working with national institutions gave me the opportunity to make a tangible contribution to public education policy through design thinking and educational technology.