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- Student receptiveness to Kahoot! in higher educationPublication . Pires, A.; Pais, S.; Chagas, L.The use of technology in higher education has been increasing in the past few years and new online tools have emerged for very different purposes. Kahoot! is an example of a platform that can be used for reviewing content and motivating students for learning. Our research is based on data from a quantitative survey conducted in the previous school year and the participants were 86 undergraduate students from a Portuguese higher education institution. The preliminary results of the survey showed that students are very receptive to this tool and highly recommend it, as it promotes motivation. Other studies have shown that higher education students are usually receptive to web tools and consider technology can positively impact learning. To better understand students’ responses to the platform, in this study we aim at analysing the results according to area of study and investigating new correlations between variables, specifically (i) gender vs receptiveness to Kahoot!, (ii) gender vs recommendation of its use and (iii) technology readiness vs receptiveness to Kahoot!.
- Enhancing students’ motivation with Kahoot!: a case study in English and mathematicsPublication . Pais, S.; Pires, A.; Chagas, L.In the last few decades, technology has advanced in multiple fields, including Education. Some of its benefits include improving student performance and motivation, fostering active learning and tracking student progress. As a "new learning generation" is around, profound changes to the role and function of both teachers and students are particularly vital, so active, cooperative and participative methodologies of learning must be privileged. Given that most higher education students are technology savvy and very receptive to the integration of Web 2.0 tools in class, the teachers involved in this study began using Kahoot! in their classes as an alternative teaching methodology. The participants in the study are undergraduate students from a Portuguese higher education institution and encompassed the curricular units of Statistical Analysis and English. The aim of the study is to investigate students’ perceptions of how Kahoot! can be used as a tool for testing new vocabulary, reviewing class content or designing warm-up activities. A quantitative survey is being conducted to gather information about students’ insights on the use of Kahoot!. Similar studies have shown that students are generally receptive to the use of this tool and find it useful to increase their motivation.
- Kahoot! and socrative in higher education: a comparative studyPublication . Chagas, L.; Pires, A.; Pais, S.Technology brings new challenges and opportunities to higher education institutions, as it can promote learner-centered activities. Mobile devices such as smartphones are very popular among students and can easily engage them and promote motivation and active learning. In this study, we investigate Tourism undergraduate students’ perceptions on the use of mobile technology in the classroom, specifically two quiz makers in a comparative perspective: Kahoot! and Socrative. The purpose of this two-stage study is to identify and meet students’ preferences, so as to design activities that can truly promote learning. The participants are Mathematics and English students from a Portuguese higher education institution. At the first stage, in a preliminary survey, 33 students have identified their quiz preferences and most of them (87,88%) selected Socrative as their favourite quiz maker. At the second stage, students were also inquired about their general perceptions and preferred features, such as collaborative mode, competition mode, self-paced mode or immediate feedback. Similar studies have shown that these tools can promote engagement, motivation, concentration and learning. Therefore, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of how technology can improve the learning process.
- The use of diversified active learning methodologies in mathematics classes: A case study with pre-service teachersPublication . Hall, A.; Pais, S.Mathematics is one of the school subjects where demotivation, dislike and failure are frequent concerns. It is necessary to engage students in the classroom and look for resources that make classes attractive and engaging, thus leading to meaningful learning experiences in mathematics. Active learning methodologies provide alternative options to traditional lecturing, actively engaging students in the learning process. The use of a single methodology may not be the best option to address this problem. A diversified approach that incorporates various methodologies and their combinations appears to be a preferable solution, as diversity not only leads to a more dynamic teaching style but also attends to the variety of preferences and needs of the students. In this work, we present a case study where we implemented and combined a range of active learning strategies to enhance student engagement and success in mathematics. Across one semester of undergraduate coursework, we emphasized collaborative group work and discussion groups, integrated peer teaching, flipped classroom, and role-play methodologies, used game-based learning through Kahoot! and Quizizz, and regularly incorporated mathematical magic tricks. The participants in the study are pre-service teachers from a Portuguese higher education institution enrolled in a first year mathematics course. In order to understand how these methodologies were perceived by the students, a survey was conducted. Our findings suggest that this multi-faceted approach effectively increased student interest and improved learning outcomes in mathematics.
- Escape rooms as an innovative language learning tool in higher education tourism degreesPublication . Pires, A.; Pais, S.; Sousa, A. E.We live in an ever-changing society. The educational context is no exception and requires a renewal of paradigms. Profound changes to the role and function of the professor and the students are particularly vital. Active, cooperative and participative learning methodologies must be privileged, breaking with magisterial education and the mere transmission of knowledge. The escape room is a game experience that challenges participants to leave a room where they are locked in. In order to reach the key to the exit door, players need to overcome a varied set of challenges. Following the increasingly recurrent adoption of gamification strategies in the teaching and learning processes, the educational escape room stems from this game experience and has students solving challenges in a team in real-time. In educational escape rooms, players/students discover clues and solve mysteries, fulfilling different tasks in a room to learn in an active way. Some of its benefits include improving student performance and motivation and fostering active learning. This paper presents a case study on educational escape rooms used in the German class with a group of first-year tourism students from a Portuguese higher education institution. Besides providing a motivating and challenging learning strategy, the aim of the escape room was to revise the content taught in classes. The study aims to evaluate how escape rooms can contribute to increasing students' motivation. A quantitative survey was conducted to gather information about students’ insights on the use of escape rooms.
- Mathematical magic in the classroomPublication . Hall, A.; Pais, S.Mathematics, considered one of the basic areas of various formations, has been the subject of concern for many authors and researchers due to its enormous academic and educational failure [1]. Its importance in day-to-day life and the formation of individuals is irrefutable [2]. One of the problems identified in the failure of mathematics teaching is the lack of motivation that students feel towards the discipline. According to [3], motivation is an essential factor in any learning since the quality of learning is not only related to the capacity to learn, but also to the level of motivation that we have to carry out this same learning. Considering that it is imperative to make the teaching and learning process of mathematics more stimulating, taking into account modern society and student’s interests [4], the authors have developed a qualitative case study to evaluate how "mathematical magic" can contribute to increase students’ motivation for learning mathematics. In order to develop this experience, the techniques of inquiry, direct observation and analysis of documents were applied and the following instruments were used: questionnaires and respective analysis grids; production of a battery of tasks of a diversified nature; field notes and interviews. Although this project is still ongoing and therefore not yet completed, a previous analysis of the collected data allows us to conclude that the use of mathematical magic tricks in the classroom, with the purpose of motivating the students to learn mathematics, was revealed effective. Students were curious about the new tricks and were positively surprised at the relative simplicity of their explanation, as if saying to themselves, "How can such mathematical concepts bring so much surprise?" The students showed that the topics gained more meaning after performing the tricks because they witnessed real applications of the concepts, with an extremely attractive purpose. They often stated that they were going to play the tricks on their friends / family outside the classroom context, which meant that they were mastering the concepts involved.
- Assessing students' engagement levels during lockdown: a survey in tourism degreesPublication . Chagas, L.; Pires, A.; Pais, S.In early 2020, the crisis of a new virus and a pandemic context took the world by storm. All sectors of society were affected: health, economics,… and education was no exception, with all levels suspending face-to-face classes, which were replaced by online activities. In view of this situation, several doubts and uncertainties emerged among educators, but one question stood out: how to proceed with teaching activities in the online format without compromising the commitment and engagement of the students? Within this context, the teachers involved in this study sought to adapt the activities and teaching materials to the exclusive use of technology and promoted asynchronous tasks, which could be developed independently by the students. In order to understand how the profound changes in Higher Education were experienced by students, a quantitative survey was conducted. The participants in the study are undergraduate students from a Portuguese Higher Education institution attending the curricular units of Statistical Analysis and English.