Digital Education Review

An example of gamification for pre-service teachers in online higher education: methods, tools, and purpose

Milagros Torrado Cespón, Patricia Bárcena Toyos — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Using gamification in teaching practice can be highly effective if educators understand its application. Recognising potential confusion surrounding theoretical approaches to gamification, this paper analyses a specific example of gamification using ICT/ICRT tools for online master’s degree students. It details the design steps, encompassing theoretical foundations, online tools, narrative elements, and practical links to the gamification experience.

This study investigates the impact of gamification on student engagement and satisfaction in a virtual classroom setting. A total of 116 participants completed a questionnaire adapted from GAMEFULQUEST (Högberg et al., 2019) to assess their experiences after engaging in a series of gamified challenges. The questionnaire, translated and validated for Spanish-speaking students, evaluated seven dimensions of gamification: Accomplishment, Challenge, Competition, Guided, Immersion, Playfulness, and Social Experience.

Results indicated high levels of satisfaction, particularly in Playfulness (M=5.84) and Accomplishment (M=5.83), suggesting students valued both the enjoyment and sense of achievement derived from the tasks. Although satisfaction was generally high across all dimensions, the Social Experience dimension received a lower rating (M=5.01), highlighting an opportunity to enhance social connections among students.

These findings underscore gamification's transformative potential in boosting motivation and engagement, especially in higher education. The study emphasises the importance of aligning gamified experiences with students' needs and incorporating elements that foster interaction and narrative engagement. It also recommends further research to explore the long-term effects of gamification on learning outcomes and to identify best practices for its implementation in diverse educational settings.

Teachers’ Digital Tools for Learning. A Comparative Study using Symbaloo

Alícia Martí Climent — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents the results of a research based on the implementation of a didactic proposal on the digital competence of teachers in the context of language and literature didactics, which has been carried out in the initial training of secondary school teachers for three academic years (from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023) and, in addition, a pilot test has recently been carried out with active teachers (February 2023). The aim is to identify the repertoire of technological resources of future secondary school teachers by analysing the PLE created using Symbaloo by the students of the Master's Degree in Secondary Education at the University of Valencia, and to compare it with that of active teachers. The results show that the repertoire of digital tools for teaching has varied over time and currently the most used are Kahoot, Genially, Canva, Google Drive, Google Classroom and YouTube. The proposal to create a PLE on digital tools using Symbaloo can be extrapolated for implementation and evaluation in the classroom by other teachers, as it promotes personalised learning and the development of digital competence.

Use of the deep learning and decision tree techniques to analyze the incorporation of technology in the educational field

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of this mixed research is to analyze the perception of the students about the use of Zoom and the Learning Management Systems such as Moodle and Google Classroom in the educational field during the COVID-19 pandemic considered data science. In particular, Zoom facilitates the communication, presentation of contents and resolution of doubts. On the other hand, Moodle and Google Classroom allow the delivery of tasks, consultation of information and realization of discussion forums from anywhere. The participants are 128 students of Psychology (n = 70, 54.69%), Social Work (n = 33, 25.78%) and Geophysics (n = 25, 19.53%) who took the Clinical Method, Urban Problems and Electromagnetic Prospecting courses at the National Autonomous University of Mexico during the 2020 school year. The results of the deep learning technique indicate that the use of Zoom and Learning Management Systems (Moodle and Google Classroom) during the COVID-19 pandemic positively influences the assimilation of knowledge and participation of the students. The decision tree technique identifies 4 predictive models about the use of these technological tools. Finally, Zoom, Moodle and Google Classroom allow transforming the teaching-learning process and updating the school activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social networks: influence on the deep learning of secondary school students

Antonia Ramírez García, Mª Pilar Gutiérrez-Arenas, Inmaculada Ruiz-Calzado — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Social networks represent a new lifestyle for young people. The aim of this study is to identify which factors, linked to the use of social networks and digital content consumed and produced by secondary school students, intervene in the application of deep learning strategies. To identify them, a quantitative study was conducted with a sample of 197 students. The instrument used was a questionnaire. The results show a low use of deep learning strategies. The frequency of use of Instagram, Youtube and Twitter influences the application of these strategies, but not TikTok or Discord/WhatsApp. The types of content produced do not influence the implementation of these strategies, but the content consumed does. Avoiding interaction with the mobile phone during study time allows the application of strategies of self-regulation of learning, visual processing and summarising, and deep information processing. In conclusion, these findings make it possible to draw on evidence to be able to carry out educational and guidance work in the school environment adjusted to the reality of the students. As well as offering guidelines to families to regulate students' academic work and supervise the digital content they consume at home.

Structural equation modeling of Nigerian science, technology and mathematics teachers’ adoption of educational artificial in-telligence tools

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Recent progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has aroused interest in the growth and development of educational AI tools (EAITs). Teachers’ adoption of EAITs in classrooms has helped in shaping instructional decisions taken by them in an attempt to promote intelligently and actively students’ meaningful learning of contents areas. Nevertheless, science, technology and mathematics (STM) teachers in Nigeria are rarely adopting and incorporating EAITs in their classrooms pedagogical discourse, and their perceptions of EAITs are rarely assessed. To this end, this study identified human factors in acceptance of EAITs by STM teachers in Nigeria. The study proposed an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) integrating STM teachers’ perceived trust and instructional beliefs in EAITs through a quantitative blueprint of a descriptive survey design. The sample for the study consisted of 345 STM teachers in the six education districts of Lagos State, Nigeria. A valid and reliable instrument tagged adoption of educational artificial intelligence tools questionnaire (AEAITQ, α=0.87) was used to collect survey data which, were analysed via structural equation modeling. The study results showed that STM teachers with constructivist beliefs had the tendency to adopt and incorporate EAITs into their instructional decisions than their counterparts with traditional beliefs. Traditional instructional beliefs (TIB) had a negative influence on perceived trust (PT), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and perceived usefulness (PU). In addition, PT, PEOU and PU were strong factors predicting STM teachers’ adoption of EAITs. However, PEOU was the strongest factor that predicted STM teachers’ adoption of EAITs in pedagogical discourse. Important inferences regarding the growth and adoption of EAITs for significant stakeholders in STM education were discussed.

Evolution of the concept of artificial intelligence in scientific literature: a systematic analysis

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has sparked controversy due to the diversity of interpretations of its concept, its potential benefits, and the associated ethical concerns, highlighting the need for informed debate and careful implementation to optimize its impact on learning. This research systematically reviews, following the PRISMA protocol guidelines, the evolution of the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scientific production from 2017 to 2023 using the WOS and Scopus databases. A mixed methods approach was employed, consisting of bibliometric and content analysis. For the bibliometric analysis, data were processed in Bibliometrix based on variables: evolution and annual scientific production, Bradford's law, most relevant authors, scientific production by countries, keyword map, and global collaboration map. The results indicate that the term "Artificial Intelligence" is controversial. The bibliometric analysis reveals a steady growth in scientific production on AI from 2017 to 2023, with a peak in the last year. AI has been shown to have remarkable capabilities in specific tasks, such as voice recognition, image classification, and decision-making in complex situations.

All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy – A Systematic Review on Effectiveness of Game-based Learning in Dental Education

Rahul Mohandas, Subhashree Mohapatra — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Game-based learning (GBL) is an effective learning tool for medical and dental undergraduates in enhancing knowledge and skills as well as gaining student engagement and motivation. Educational games can create a social constructivist learning environment, where learners can construct their knowledge through interactions with their peers and instructors. This concept is promising for learners to self-direct their learning. However, there is no clear evidence yet to support their effectiveness over traditional approaches in terms of competence improvement. The present systematic review aimed to assess and compare all the available literature on the effect of game-based learning on dental education. The PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Science Direct, Lilac, and Web of Science databases were searched using the pre-determined MeSH terms and eligibility criteria. The search yielded a total of eight articles. The studies included applications like Kahoot, GoDental, DentalByte, Skills-o-mat, and Playdent for GBL and compared their effectiveness to conventional methods. It was found that overall student satisfaction, motivation and interest was higher in GBL methods compared to the conventional methods of learning. GBL seems to be an effective tool for knowledge acquisition among dental students. However, further research should be conducted to compare the effectiveness of GBL against other learning methods. Newer games can also be tailor-made for specific learning objectives.