Evaluating new technologies and education gamification in high education: the case of Kahoot!

Abstract

[EN] The profile of students in higher education is changing and yet, in spite of this, traditional methodologies of teaching are used without considering either the changes or the available resources. Over the last few decades, the presence of technology in society has transformed many sectors and higher education should take the new opportunities offered to them. The goal of this pilot study is to introduce learning resources based on new technologies and education gamification by the implementation of Kahoot! in higher education. This methodology has been used with 53 students of the Degree in Social Work who are studying the subject "Research in Social Welfare Systems". An ad-hoc questionnaire made up of 22 questions was conducted, evaluating the seven principles of good feedback practices. Each item was accompanied by a Likert scale to reflect the student's degree of compliance with each statement. The results have shown that Kahoot! was regarded both as a fun way to learn by 88.7% of the students and a good way to identify the main contents of the subject by 86.8% of them. However, 43.4% of students did not see Kahoot! as a tool to learn new content and 49.1% thought that the learning outcomes obtained during the experience did not reflect their progress in the subject. The use of Kahoot! has shown some advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, Kahoot! was regarded as a good way to review the content of the subject in a fun and interactive manner but, on the other hand, the students thought that it was not the best tool to learn new contents and to show their knowledge about the subject. The results have shown the limitations and opportunities that Kahoot! can offer in higher education.