Abstract

BEDOYA-RODRIGUEZ, Francisco Javier. The Puzzle: Didactic Strategy to Improve Calculus Learning in Engineering Students. Rev. Fac. Cienc. Tecnol. [online]. 2023, n.53, pp.162-180.  Epub Jan 01, 2023. ISSN 0121-3814.  https://doi.org/10.17227/ted.num53-14357.

This paper focuses on game-based learning and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to improve university mathematics skills and learning. For this, it is intended to validate a classroom technique called “The Puzzle” in industrial engineering students from the subjects’ differential and integral calculus, supported by active and collaborative learning. A puzzle was developed with a digital template which was applied to teams formed where the winner had an academic incentive. It is a quasi-experimental study in which sociodemographic aspects of the students were analyzed and a pretest and posttest were applied to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique in the classroom. An intentional sample was used with a total of N = 178 students belonging to the subject’s differential and integral calculus from the years 2016 to 2020. The data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and the statistical software SPSS Statistics version 25 was used with the Wilcoxon non-parametric test for related samples to be able to measure the improvements and product of the application of the technique. The pretest and posttest results refer to differences and indicate that the application of the classroom technique “The Puzzle” significantly improves the learning of the referral and integration process. The results of this study coincide with other works where didactic strategies improve learning. In addition, this technique can be a reference to be applied in other subjects and promote activities of this type in the classroom.

Keywords : classroom teaching; calculus; game-based learning; learning strategies; collaborative learning.

        · abstract in Spanish | Portuguese     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )