Abstract:

Technological revolution has designed a society characterized by global changes and by innovation in information technologies. So, a new approach has emerged that allows developing alternatives of various kinds through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). A historical approach to ICTs in the educational and pedagogical field allows identifying its usefulness and efficiency as an instrument for the improvement of the quality in teaching. Thus, ICTs for education includes integration and development of skills relating to the practice of the teaching-learning processes in educational centers. The aims of this work have been:

(i) to integrate ICTs as a pedagogical teaching resource on the course “Administration, ethics and legislation of the profession” taught in the School of Physiotherapy of the University of Valencia in order to achieve a better understanding and comprehension on the contents, and
(ii) to assess the appropriate software for the theoretical lessons based on an active learning through the use of ICTs.

This work consists in a comparative study to assess the comprehension of new concepts through two different slide presentation software (Microsoft PowerPoint® and Prezi®) in three different groups of students (n=150). Each software was associated to a specific pedagogical method: PowerPoint® was used as the traditional ‘one concept per slide’ while Prezi® was used to communicate concepts and ideas through a narrative tool in a single window. The student’s perceptions of the methods were registered through a multiple choice questionnaire.

The results show that the use of both teaching applications seem to be complementary in teaching “Administration, ethics and legislation of the profession”.

Keywords:

ICTs, innovation, Physiotherapy.