SKILLS TREE: GAMIFICATION PROPOSAL APPLIED IN AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE COURSE

Abstract

Since students have social, cultural and emotional characteristics and specific skills, as well as their own learning styles and rhythms, a conception of permanent didactic change is necessary, only then teachers will not limit their creative actions and will contemplate students’ needs. However, due to the fragility of teacher education process and the lack of adoption of other methodologies, some teachers restrict actions and do not allow the students’ active and autonomous participation in the learning process. Considering that the choice of strategy influences learning, it is necessary that teachers, from initial training, develop knowledge about diverse methodologies. To this end, a gamified teaching strategy called Skills Tree was developed, consisting of a set of branched paths with their own methodological approaches related to teaching knowledge, which when followed materialize in products related to the teaching processes. The Skills Tree was applied to a class of a Chemistry Degree course in order to verify the motivation and engagement. As a result, the strategy proved to be an environment that facilitates the motivation and engagement by providing different forms of interaction in the development of products and respecting specific preferences regarding their learning style.