Abstract:

The focus of any engineering degree is to train future engineers. Learning any branch of engineering is based on a set of basic materials such as algorithms and computer programming (ACP) which are of great importance as they drive the development of computational thinking of students. In general, the program content does not attract them, because they are thought to be quite complex and understandable only by a small group of stereotypical people. The reflection of this level is visible by low attendance, low participation nor involvement by students in the classroom, as dropout and low results obtained by students in the ACP disciplines of undergraduate engineering courses. This results in restrictions on the overall performance in the corresponding degrees.
Several studies support the need to introduce in the teaching-learning process new methodologies able to stimulate and increase the interest of students. However, the challenges to define new teaching-learning methodologies are dis-proportionate. On the one hand, the socio-cultural paradigm is strongly marked by the presence of new technologies such as social networking and instant messaging applications, generating themselves some conflicts between students and teachers. On the other hand, there is the belief that the best way to learn is by using the tripod understand-do-practice, with exercise lists. This teaching model, with all its pros and cons, most of the time, do not follow all the technological advances, neither has been able to combat the decline in attendance in classes with limited student participation, even when requested. To reverse this scenario, an educational game-based platform known as Kahoot! was introduced as a complementary resource in ACP classes.
Kahoot! is a game-based web platform that has been used since 2013 by many teachers to transform their classrooms into a game show. Based on the quiz, it allows the teacher to use pre-existing or create completely new quizzes using several possible formats, such as multiple-choice, true or false; polling; ordering, puzzles, and open questions. Then, professors can disseminate it during the class to their students in a format in which the teacher acts as a presenter and the students compete for that game, as is the case in many television contests, for example, "who wants to be a millionaire". Both the questions and the results obtained from the interactions - answers given by the students, graphs with the number of correct answers and rankings - are projected on a large screen. During all the games, students respond using their own digital devices, and they also receive feedback regarding their responses and performance. At the end of the game, the three winners are announced through the medal podium as in an Olympic championship.
This article aims to present a successful experience with the applicability of Kahoot! with first-year students in an Engineering course in Algorithms and Computer Programming classes. The main results revealed that Kahoot! enriched the quality of students' learning in the classroom, enhancing the greatest influence on the classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation as well as the improvement of the learning experience. Our findings also suggest that the use of educational games in the classroom is likely to minimize distractions, improving the quality of teaching and learning beyond what is provided in conventional classrooms.

Keywords:

Kahoot, educational games, technology-enhanced learning.