Abstract:

The main objective of teaching in the European Higher Education Area is for students to learn on their own, with a fundamental emphasis on facilitating the application of what has been learned in real-world scenarios. This project proposes combining the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology and Gamification for a deeper exploration of one of the topics in the “Physics of Communications” subject of the MSc. in Physics and Physical Technologies. The activity is designed so that student groups must choose a specification card, select, and implement the relevant encoding/decoding scheme to ensure reliable transmission. To promote collaborative learning, strategies will play a dual role: on one hand, choosing and programming the scheme, and on the other hand, testing and evaluating the quality of transmission. Students will have the opportunity to apply knowledge related to different digital signal encoding schemes to a real situation: a communication link through plastic optical fiber, with corresponding transmitter and receiver stages.

The activity is designed to unfold in three phases. In the first phase, each group of students is provided with a transmitter block, a medium (plastic optical fiber), a receiver block, and a 'base code' that they will later have to modify to encode/decode the message. Using these blocks, students must assemble the communication system and easily verify its functionality by sending a single bit of information. This allows them to identify the different elements of a communication system explained during the theoretical sessions. In the second phase, students randomly select a specification card. Each of these cards describes a hypothetical situation based on a real scenario in which there is a problem with the data encoding of a specific communication system. Additionally, a set of specifications that the system must meet is provided. Based on this information, students must determine the encoding scheme and optimal specifications to solve the assigned problem. Once decided, they must apply the solution to the communication system. After this phase, students will have recreated a communication system adapted to the real situation given. Finally, a third phase of sharing is performed, allowing students to learn about the cases that other groups have had to face.

The intention is for students' learning to be directed towards solving a series of complex problems in a realistic scenario, drawing on cognitive skills acquired in the Master's program and methodological skills acquired in the Bachelor's program, such as programming in Python and Arduino. This will stimulate learning through the development process, allowing the development of both crosscutting skills (such as creative thinking and critical decision-making) and specific programming and implementation skills in the laboratory.

Keywords:

Problem-Based Learning, Gamification, Laboratory Experience.