Adventures, Badges, and Leaderboards
When students can see their progress, they stay motivated. SemesterQuest gives you the tools to make growth visible, rewarding, and fun.
Why Visible Progress Matters
One of the biggest challenges in education is helping students see how their daily effort connects to long-term growth. Traditional grading systems update slowly and often feel abstract. Students may not see the results of their work for days or weeks, making it hard to stay motivated in the meantime.
Visible progress systems solve this problem by giving students real-time indicators of their achievements. A badge earned after completing a challenge, a level gained after consistent participation, a rising position on the leaderboard: these are immediate, concrete signals that effort pays off.
SemesterQuest builds this visibility into everything. Students always know where they stand, what they have accomplished, and what they are working toward next.
Adventures
Pro PlanAdventures are guided learning paths that combine content with quiz-based challenges. Available on the Pro plan, Adventures transform review sessions, unit wrap-ups, and practice activities into quests that students want to complete.
How Adventures Work
Teachers create Adventures by building a sequence of quiz questions and content steps. Students progress through the Adventure at their own pace, answering questions and engaging with the material along the way.
Each Adventure can include video content and quiz modes, giving teachers flexibility in how they structure the learning path. Completing an Adventure can award currency, badges, or both.
When to Use Adventures
- End-of-unit review before a test
- Independent practice during class time
- Homework or enrichment assignments
- Vocabulary or concept reinforcement
- Early finisher activities
The Badge System
Badges are visual markers of accomplishment that students collect throughout the semester. They recognize specific achievements, milestones, or behaviors and give students something to show for their work beyond a grade.
Teacher-Created Badges
You create the badges that matter in your classroom. Define the name, description, and criteria. Award them manually when a student meets the requirements.
Milestone Recognition
Use badges to mark important moments: completing 10 assignments, reaching a currency milestone, helping a classmate, or finishing an Adventure. These moments deserve recognition beyond a grade.
Collectible and Visible
Students can view their badge collection, building a visual record of what they have accomplished. This creates a sense of pride and encourages students to pursue the next badge.
Levels
The leveling system provides a long-term progression arc for the entire semester. As students engage with the classroom economy, earn currency, complete tasks, and participate, they accumulate experience that moves them toward the next level.
Levels serve as a persistent motivator. Unlike a single assignment grade, a student's level reflects their sustained engagement over time. This encourages consistency rather than last-minute effort.
- Students see their current level and progress toward the next one
- Leveling up feels rewarding and builds momentum
- Progress reflects the full semester, not a single moment
Leaderboards
Leaderboards add a layer of friendly competition to your classroom economy. Students can see how they compare to their peers, creating motivation to stay active and engaged.
Leaderboards are a tool for teachers, not a ranking system that runs on its own. You have control over how they are used in your classroom, and you can configure them to highlight the metrics that matter most to your teaching goals.
- Encourage healthy competition and peer motivation
- Give students visibility into their standing
- Teacher-controlled to ensure a positive classroom culture
How It All Works Together
Adventures, badges, levels, and leaderboards are not isolated features. They work together to create a cohesive engagement system:
- 1. A student earns currency for completing classwork and positive behavior.
- 2. That engagement contributes to their level progress, moving them closer to leveling up.
- 3. They complete an Adventure and earn bonus currency plus a special badge.
- 4. Their badge collection grows, their level increases, and they move up the leaderboard.
- 5. They spend currency in the item shop on a reward they have been saving for.
This cycle keeps students engaged throughout the entire semester. There is always something to work toward, something to earn, and something to show for it.
Related Solutions
See how Adventures, badges, and leaderboards fit into the broader SemesterQuest platform.
Give Students a Reason to Level Up
SemesterQuest is free for one class. Start using badges, levels, and leaderboards today. Adventures available on Pro.
No credit card required. Set up in minutes.