• UCT Online High School says it has secured R4 million in rewards for learners thanks to its partners for the 2024 academic year.
• Their is a dedicated online Rewards Store where experiences, vouchers, equipment, and more can be redeemed.
• The Rewards Platform aims to gamify learner engagement, completion rates, and achievements.

UCT Online High School has announced an interesting initiative that looks to drive student engagement and completion rates via the launch of its learner Rewards Platform.

This gamified offering has secured R4 million in rewards for learners thanks to a series of partnerships that UCT Online High School has made in recent months.

“At UCT Online High School, their secret weapon for cultivating good learning behaviour is the online rewards platform — a realm where subjects are not just taught, they are adored. With their gamified Rewards Platform, completion rates soar, and learners become passionate advocates. It’s not just a vision; it’s a proven reality,” the educational institution explained in a release sent to Hypertext.

In terms of the learner rewards, there are three different tiers that will be made available to students during the 2024 academic year – Experiential, Monetary, and Merchandise/Equipment.

The description of the three tiers are as follows:

• “Experiential Rewards: Opportunities for learners to engage in virtual or physical experiences, such as meeting prominent figures, interacting with industry leaders, or participating in exciting events.
• Monetary Rewards: These rewards encompass redeemable vouchers, event discounts, online store purchases, and “buy one, get one free” specials.
• Merchandise/Equipment Rewards: This category offers physical items that learners can acquire using their virtual tokens, including clothing, branded merchandise, tech hardware, and more.”

The learner rewards can be redeemed after they’ve been earned via the aforementioned online Rewards Store, with vouchers, discounts and promo codes on offer, ranging from learning support services, technology products, outdoor physical activities and experiences, and lifestyle offerings. 

Some of the notable rewards include:

• “A Class Tutors – Over R20 000 worth of learner rewards that offers individualised tutoring and exam prep services, which aims to guide and support a learner through their educational journey.
• AdvantageLearn.com Further Studies – Over R20 000 worth of learner rewards in Further Studies Courses. 
• Bounce Inc Parties – Rewards that offer access to massive indoor trampoline parks for all ages at venues around South Africa.
• Exclusive Books – Various high-value voucher rewards for learners for access to Exclusive Books wide range of books and products. 
• Planet Fitness – Over R3.5 million worth of rewards for weekly access to any Planet Fitness gym across the country. Plus exclusive branded merch packs for learners. 
• rAge Expo – Over R75,000 worth of rewards in the form of access passes to attend rAge Expo 2024. Day Pass tickets for rAge Expo – South Africa’s go-to mega event for video gaming, technology, eSports, geek culture and digital entertainment.
• SPAZAEats – Over R60,000 worth of rewards vouchers for use on the SPAZAEats food delivery service. Register on SPAZAEats and enjoy your preferred Kasi meal worth R100 with a unique voucher code. Over 600 unique vouchers for grabs.”

It remains to be seen whether gamifying student performance with experiences will yield the results that UCT Online High School is hoping for, but this is certainly one of the more unique approaches to getting learners engaged.