Abstract:

In this work, results from the application of the FORMATIC Innovation Project at the University of Oviedo are presented. The project consisted in developing a feedback and feedforward structure for the Thermal Engineering course, allowing for a continuous and formative evaluation of the students. After an initial survey among the students to gather useful information, the main class structure, based on theory explanations, problem solving sessions and doubt solving times, was complemented with the generation of a Teams group. This group allowed the students to pose live questions during the explanations, and the professors to perform live assessment tests and metacognitive questions to the students, so they could reflect on their learning perception. The learning environment outside of the classroom consisted in the use of this group to allow for questions and doubt-solving, as well as a series of self-correcting tests with technical and self-perception questions for the students. At the end of the course, a final survey helped to gather information about the acceptance of the project by the students and their perception of its utility. The results from the project were collected and analyzed, finding a positive correlation between the participation in the classroom sessions dedicated to the project activities and the evaluation rate of the students. In addition, the students involved in the innovation project, which was voluntary and had no weight in the course marks, were found to achieve higher final scores. Hence, it may be concluded that initiatives such as the one presented in this work may enhance the learning of students in technical studies and increase their commitment to course completion.

Keywords:

Blended learning, formative evaluation, ICTs, metacognition, learning self-perception.