Abstract:

Faced with the challenge of keeping up with the transformations of a highly complex and diverse society, higher education faculty are encouraged to rethink their traditional teaching practices, renovating them into active teaching practices that match the interests of current students and prepare them for the new world.

In recent years, methodologies based on an active and cooperative learning are gaining prevalence, based on all the dynamics of organised groupwork, where students take an active role. Information and communication technologies can be applied directly to this type of teaching and learning process and play an important role in its implementation.

This paper addresses the use of innovative pedagogical strategies in the generational context of digital native students, through the use of a digital tool for project management.

The main purpose of this research is to understand the effect of active and collaborative pedagogical methodologies - namely Trello, a project management tool -, on productivity, collaborative work and the organisation of students’ work and projects. The specific objective is to evaluate the influence of the use of digital tools and innovative pedagogical practices applied to higher education students in the organisation of tasks.

The context of the study and methodological approach is a case study, based on an exploratory approach, focused on the use of digital tools as a pedagogical strategy for higher education. To assess the use of the tool, a questionnaire was built, based on the work developed by different authors, with questions were asked regarding the use of the Trello platform as a pedagogical tool. The questionnaire was applied to first grade students of an undergraduate degree.

Results of the study indicates a positive effect of the approach and the use of the tool, contributing to the motivation, involvement and sense of responsibility of students in group activities. The research allows us to conclude that the advantages of the approach help the students in organising their activities, thus contributing to increase the dynamics and productivity in elaborating projects and in the team’s task control. Finally, the study demonstrates that the collaborative tools contributes positively to the teaching and learning process, facilitating communication, material sharing, organising activities and delivery dates for assessment elements.

Keywords:

Pedagogical Innovation, Active Learning, Collaborative Learning, Digital Collaborative Platforms, Trello.