GAMIFICATION AS A STRATEGY FOR TEACHING MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING

Gamification is presented as an effective pedagogical strategy to increase student participation and improve learning in the higher education context.This paper describes a gamified activity implemented in the subject "Taller de Diseo III", belonging to the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering at the Universitat Politcnica de Valncia.The experience took place during the didactic unit dedicated to polymeric materials, combining theoretical contents with a practical dynamic based on the identification of polymers from physical samples of different materials.The activity was structured in multiple phases, allowing students to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired with feedback at each stage.The results obtained show an increase in class attendance, a greater student involvement during the classes and an improvement in the understanding of the theoretical contents with respect to previous courses.This experience is proposed as a replicable model in other didactic units of the subject itself, as well as in other similar technical subjects, reinforcing the value of gamification as an educational tool in the field of engineering.