Abstract:

Changes in the university environment result in changes in the way students learn, and it is necessary to adapt teaching practice and teaching methodologies to the new contexts in order to ensure that students learn. In this scenario, different pedagogical innovations have been developed in university education, including Flipped Classroom, Service Learning (ApS), and Virtual Learning (social media and podcasts).

The Flipped Classroom, also known as the inverted classroom, consists of transforming traditional classrooms into centres of learning, inquiry, and engagement. This methodology promotes that students take an active attitude by having the control of their own learning. Another pedagogical innovation is the Service Learning (ApS) methodology. It is based on the recognition and evaluation of real community needs, enabling students to critically approach the complexity of their environment. The ApS requires direct action on the detected social needs with the will to improve them. This implies that it is not enough to analyse and reflect on what surrounds us, but it is crucial to participate and get involved in it. Finally, virtual teaching is increasingly being used in the university education as a useful tool to awake the interest of students in the different subjects. On the one hand, Instagram, as a social media platform, could be a potential way for knowledge transmission in higher education. On the other hand, Podcast, as a direct communication multimedia audio or video file, allows to consolidate students’ knowledge as well as to achieve the acquisition of different skills including self-management of their study time.

This work aimed to review and put in value the experience acquired in the above-mentioned learning methodologies, applied in four different innovative teaching projects by professors and postgraduate students from the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain. The university students who participated in these activities were from Degrees of Pharmacy, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science and Technology, and the Double Degree of Pharmacy-Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the UCM.

These projects were very much appreciated by the students and allowed them to improve their learning processes. The obtained results were promising, and the implementation of different pedagogical models resulted in benefits for both professors and students.

Keywords:

Flipped Classroom, Service learning, Virtual learning.