Abstract:

The main objective of this work was to experimentally determine whether there is an increase in certain fundamental cognitive processes -attention, motivation and memory- of undergraduate college students when the class sessions are conducted in an environment rich in both use of information technologies (ITs) and teaching practices based on neuroscience principles.

The research had a mixed methodology design, specifically convergent and parallel. Furthermore, the experiment itself was developed with two different groups of the same course, but with the same teacher, as units of analysis: the experimental group, where the practices were implemented, and the control group, where a "traditional" academic environment was structured. As data collection tools, non-participant observation, two standardized tests (d2-test and a memory sub-test) and a weekly survey to measure levels of motivation were used.

The results showed that the three dependent variables analyzed (fundamental cognitive processes studied), reflected a positive impact in the experimental group. The academic performance of the students within this particular group increased as well. These results not only demonstrate the importance of exploring in greater depth the implementation of information technology and principles of neuroscience in new educational environments, but also provide a practical baseline for teaching strategies.

Keywords:

Neuroscience, IT, Education, Teaching strategies, Cognitive processes.