Abstract:

The DigiNut -Use of digital tools to facilitate self-learning and reinforce concepts in the field of Nutrition- project is an inter-campus (Melilla-Granada, Spain) teaching innovation project coordinated from the Department of Nutrition and Food Science (Melilla Campus, Spain). It aims to facilitate self-learning and reinforce concepts in the field of Nutrition and Health through the use of digital tools such as Formative Pills which are short videos where the students adopt an active role to build their own learning showing competences in the context of a specific subject. The DigiNut project also aims to facilitating the memory and understanding of information, to promote collaborative learning, critical thinking and socialization and integration, as well as oral communication skills for scientific dissemination so necessary for the correct performance of their profession as health professionals.

To evaluate the self-reported transversal skills acquired by the students who agreed to participate in the project, a 5-point Likert scale -from not at all to very much- that evaluates three dimensions i.e., developing, domain and relevance was employed in a validated questionnaire. The questionnaire included 57 items about 15 different competences related to organization and planification, oral and writing communication, employment of the information and communication technologies (ICT), communication in a foreign language, professional project development and decision making, knowledge information management, teamwork, social interaction, ethical and social commitments, emotional control, entrepreneurial attitude, independent work, adaptation to new situations, motivation and research competence. The questionnaire was anonymous and voluntary.

Since the project is ongoing, we present here preliminary data from a subsample of students (n=17) who participated in the DigiNut project from the Double Degree in Primary Education and Physical Activity and Sports (Melilla Campus) and Nutrition and Dietetics Degree (Granada Campus). Most of them agreed in the fact that developing Formative Pills help them to be self-critical, learn autonomously, manage information through ICT, self-know their strengths and weaknesses, search and process information from different sources, analyse and synthesize information and know how to position themselves critically before the information. Interestingly, apart from the acquired competences, the majority of students found very much relevant the vast majority of competencies for their professional performance. Thus, considering the promising and interesting preliminary results from the DigiNut project, further improvements are warranted to maximize the learning experience through digital tools, and specifically, Formative Pills.

Acknowledgments:
We would like to acknowledge the “Unidad de calidad, innovación docente y prospectiva” from the University of Granada for the concession of the DigiNut project (Code num. 20-58).

Keywords:

DigiNut project, teaching innovation project, digital tools, Formative Pills, transversal key competences, Nutrition and Health.