Introducing Gamification to Improve the Evaluation Process of Programing Courses at the Salesian Polytechnic University (Guayaquil, Ecuador)

Abstract

Promoting student learning, especially the learning of first year students, is a continuous challenge for university authorities due to the large gap between secondary school preparedness and university requirements. The established programmatic content and evaluation processes of each subject are part of the analytical planning that teachers must conduct each semester to restructure and reformulate courses based on course pass rates. The academic evaluation identifies which activities have significantly enhanced or improved student learning and specifically have helped them achieve the expected group and individual learning objectives. In the university’s programming courses, the incorporation of games through technological platforms using mobile devices strengthens the teaching-learning process by reinforcing knowledge. In an enthusiastic and fun way participation in the platform helps strengthen previous knowledge, improves student communication, encourages socialization among peers and allows for the collective identification of solutions to problems related to class material. Kahoot is a digital, web-based education and gamification tool that can be used to implement this new complementary tool for learning and assessment in the classroom. This study uses gamification as an educational resource and incorporates it into the curriculum of the first year Programming course (2019 curriculum adjustment), improving the learning and assessment activates as well as the teaching – learning process as measured by specific goals defined in the course’s analytical plan.