Abstract:

The use of gamification techniques in higher education is not new. Many lecturers are aware of its advantages and an increasing number of them incorporate these techniques into their theoretical classes due to three main benefits: improved learning, increased competitiveness, and greater student motivation. In lecture-based classes, the results obtained from these methodologies have been very positive for students. However, few studies analyze the use of gamification in laboratory sessions. Therefore, it is still unclear whether the benefits observed in theoretical classes persist in laboratory environments or may improve or worsen.

In this context, a study was conducted using the programs Wooclap and Kahoot! During the practical sessions of the course Manufacturing Process Engineering (IPF) at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, corresponding to the third year of the Mechanical Engineering Degree. The results of the study indicate that the number of students failing the course has decreased slightly compared to years when Kahoot! was not used. Furthermore, it was observed that the year in which students achieved the best scores in Kahoot! also coincided with higher grades in the practical sessions. Finally, students were asked which program they preferred, and 100% chose Kahoot!

Keywords:

Gamification, active methodologies, practical class, Wooclap, Kahoot!.