Development, implementation, and evaluation of the virtual platform Quimieduca as a didactic strategy for the teaching of Chemistry in high school

Abstract

The evolution of teaching-learning processes and technologies has driven the use of computer tools to support education. Their use in science teaching promotes the development of scientific and technological skills. In the present research work, a virtual platform called Quimieduca was designed, implemented, and evaluated, with resources and didactic activities as an alternative teaching strategy for the secondary school teaching of Chemistry in Costa Rica. An initial diagnosis was carried out to determine the need and feasibility of implementing the platform. Four key topics from the Chemistry Program of the Ministry of Public Education were selected to develop the resources and didactic activities on the platform. It was designed and programmed using the Edmodo virtual platform.  The platform was implemented with tenth-year students from Colegio Gravilias during the 2022 school year. Two classes (10-3 and 10-4) utilized the Quimieduca platform, while the other two classes (10-1 and 10-2) formed the control group without access to the tool. The effectiveness of Quimieduca was evaluated both from the perspective of teachers and through the indicators of students’ academic achievements. Teachers rated the platform positively in terms of its form, substance, and design aspects. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the group of students who used the platform obtained higher performance indices, suggesting that the use of the platform facilitated a more significant advancement in the learning of the assessed indicators.