From the Nominator

"At University of California, Irvine (UCI), the word “ZOT” describes campus resources. Students have a ZOT account, ZotPass, and Zotmail. 

This year, students were introduced to Zot Quest--a treasure hunt game designed to introduce first- and second-year Anteaters to student life and support services located in the student center. These students had never been on campus due to COVID restrictions. Consequently, the student center board of advisors partnered with numerous campus services, employed the help of interns, and collaborated with professional staff to welcome students back.   

Unlike other online trivia games, Zot Quest required students to visit Zot Spots (participating locations), scan a QR code, collect custom-designed buttons or other giveaways, and learn about free services. Students visited as many Zot Spots as they could over six days. The more Zot Spots they visited, the bigger the prizes and higher the odds of winning. Zot Spots were located at in-person and online resources around the student center. Visit five Zot Spots for the novice level; 10 for heroic; 15 for epic, and 20 to become legendary. Scan the QR code, check it off the game Map, and Zot on!  

With seven business days to create the game and no advance advertising, 726 students (about 2% of the student population) participated. Departmental page views sky rocketed, app downloads increased, and up to 430 students visited various Zot Spots. Students reported learning about services they never knew existed. Administrators and managers reported leveraging increased traffic with incentives and special offers of their own."

From the Judges

This program is a distinctive way to introduce students to all the resources they have on campus in a fun and meaningful way. It could easily serve as a model for other institutions!