Socrative, a powerful digital tool for enriching the teaching–learning process and promoting interactive learning in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering studies

Abstract

AbstractMobile learning is an emerging educational methodology that requires an updated conceptualization to yield effective pedagogical approaches that may enrich the teaching–learning processes. The present research aimed to better understand and to assess the effectiveness of mobile learning in Science and Engineering Higher Education settings. The experience was carried out over two consecutive academic years, 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, in a Polymer Technology course taught in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Bachelor programs. The “Socrative” online mobile platform enabled to conduct formative assessment through the use of multiple choice quizzes that were meticulously designed to facilitate understanding and to provide instant feedback. A three‐way analysis of variance hypothesis test allowed concluding that Socrative had a significant effect, at the 0.05 level, on improving the students’ average grade (about 1.5 points higher, on a scale of 0–10) in practical lab sessions as compared with a control group that did not participate in this type of methodology. Moreover, the results from an opinion survey revealed that Socrative enabled to achieve a meaningful learning of the fundamentals, made the everyday classrooms more engaging and fun, increased motivation, and, in general, helped create a more pleasant learning environment. The use of Socrative as an effective instrument that allowed minimizing learning disruptions as a consequence of the recent COVID‐19 outbreak is also reported.