In higher education, neurodidactics has been incorporated through the diversification of pedagogical strategies to address the heterogeneity of how students learn. However, these strategies have been planned and developed with the same level of difficulty for all the students, leading to their demotivation. Therefore, an innovation was implemented using Universal Design for Learning (UDL), specifically self-challenge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the students ́ perception of the implementation of self-challenge through didactic strategies with different degrees of complexity in order to optimize motivation in first-year dentistry students taking the Morphological and Structural Bases II laboratories during the second semester of the academic year 2025, developed in the Skills Rooms of the Simulation Hospital of the Andrés Bello University, Viña del Mar, Chile. This is a qualitative, observational-descriptive study with a convenience sample of 77 students. Part of a previously validated intervention proposal was applied. Data collection was carried out through focus groups using a semi-structured question guide. Qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory to identify main categories and subcategories. This study was approved by the institutional bioethics committee. Qualitatively, four main categories emerged: interest, self-determination, self-efficacy, and volition, each with its respective subcategories. Implementing self-challenge in the teaching of anatomy increased the students’ motivation.

KEY WORDS: Universal Design for Learning; Teaching strategies; Self-challenge; Students ́ motivation; Education in dentistry.