Teachers face increasing workloads and limited time for professional development. Recognizing this challenge, the Centre de pédagogie universitaire (CPU) of the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) turned the end of term and holiday period into an opportunity to inspire and support teachers. The result? Two powerful initiatives: The Festive Calendar and The Holiday Learning Journey.

Designed entirely in Moodle, these projects combined gamification, festive themes, and practical pedagogical resources to engage teachers and enhance their teaching strategies. The Festive Calendar, which ran for the first 24 days of December, provided clear, concise and accessible pedagogical resources. The Holiday Learning Journey offered a selection of tools and strategies, including Moodle activities, a decision-making guide for using generative AI, and practical tips for effective classroom management. Designed to help teachers refine their practice, it encouraged them to embark on a playful educational adventure that fostered creativity while integrating new technologies and active learning techniques.

To guide the design of these initiatives, the CPU team was inspired by the RICE model (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort), a project management approach traditionally used to prioritize initiatives based on their reach, impact, the confidence in their success, and the effort required. This model was adapted to the pedagogical context with the aim of providing resources that engage the entire teaching community, produce tangible improvements in teaching practice and student learning, build confidence in the adoption of innovative approaches, and require minimal implementation effort. By following these principles, the CPU ensured that the initiatives delivered had a maximum pedagogical impact while remaining easy to integrate, thereby empowering teachers to confidently explore new technological and pedagogical tools.

The results of these projects far exceeded expectations. The initiatives engaged more than 200 teachers, significantly more than the 35 participants typical of standard training sessions. Participation was not only high, but sustained: teachers returned regularly to explore the resources, with daily visits sometimes exceeding 1,000. The real surprise, however, was the second spike in activity observed in early January. This spike showed that teachers were not just browsing over the holidays: they were actively using the content to plan and prepare for the next semester. This confirmed the long-term relevance and practical value of the shared resources.

Keywords: Professional Development, Active Learning, Moodle, Pedagogical Resources, Gamification.