Abstract:

The current generation of university students finds gamification to be a fun and effective way to learn. Games introduce elements of competition, creativity, and collaboration that transform learning into a dynamic experience.

Games allow students to apply theoretical concepts in practical situations, facilitating the understanding and retention of information. This approach not only increases motivation but also helps develop critical problem-solving skills.

In technical degrees, particularly in engineering, students must learn to study subjects they have never encountered before and not only grasp the material but also the critical thinking processes it offers, making the logical connections characteristic of engineering. This poses a significant challenge for educators, who must find ways to teach students how to think critically in addition to understanding the subject matter itself. Therefore, understanding the generations and available tools is essential. Since gamification in the classroom has proven to be a well-received tool among students, it can be used as a methodological learning tool.

The study presented here examines how gamification in the classroom affects academic results. Specifically, it employs study and learning techniques based on Kahoot and/or Socrative games in the Material Science I course for first-year Mechanical Engineering students at Florida Universitaria during the 22/23 and 23/24 academic years. Different sets of multiple-choice questions were designed for students to solve, requiring prior critical thinking for their answers.

This work demonstrates that gamification in the classroom helps improve academic results for university students by comparing outcomes between students who utilized gamification and those who did not.

Keywords:

Gamification, Engineering, Academic results, learning techniques, threshold concepts.