GAMIFIED FLIPPED CLASSROOM AS A MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGY IN BIOCHEMISTRY

Motivation is a very important aspect of student performance. In recent years, the gamified flipped classroom has been used in higher education to make students more motivated and engaged in their learning. On the one hand, with flipped learning (FL) students assume a fundamental role during the training process, increasing their responsibility, involvement, commitment and achievement and, on the other hand, the inclusion of game dynamics increases their motivation and favors teamwork, among other effects. The objectives of the activity were: i) to reinforce, integrate, disinhibit and encourage the group; ii) to promote student participation, capturing their interest and involving them in the process of their own learning; and iii) to favor the learning of diverse knowledge and skills and their collective construction.

The experience was implemented in the Biochemistry subject in the 1st year of the Nursing Degree during the 2024/2025 academic year. The seminar sessions combined the development of problem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL), allowing the application of theoretical knowledge, together with the flipped classroom methodology. All students participated in the experience (n = 118).

The activity was planned as follows: i) design of didactic resources, choice of videos and preparation of worksheets with related questions (instructor); ii) viewing of videos, documentation and search for information, completion of worksheets and sending them to the instructor (student); iii) review of worksheets and planning of seminar sessions (instructor); iv) development of sessions in response to perceived difficulties aimed to reinforce the content, with students (organised in teams of 4-5) collaboratively participating in interactive “games” (Wooclap) (instructor/students); and v) evaluation of learning and of the activity (instructor/students).

The learning assessment, carried out by means of a written test, revealed that the average grade of the students increased by 1.8 points, from 3.9 points to 5.7 points, after implementing the flipped classroom in seminar classes. In the evaluation of the activity, by means of a Google form, the students considered: i) it was convenient (93%) to work on the seminar topics individually before the seminar sessions; ii) the teamwork in the seminar sessions was good (97%) to facilitate the understanding of what was reviewed; iii) it was convenient (97%) to indicate the concepts that were not understood in the form to be filled in; and iv) it was appropriate (94%) to incorporate the Wooclap test to check whether the concepts were understood.

In conclusion, we consider that the experience had an important impact on the students' learning, insofar as motivation was a key element in their training process and in the final skills acquisition.