Motivation increase of mathematics students in Engineering – A proposal from Game Based Learning

Training and capacity building for students in engineering programs, including developing competencies and skills in mathematics, have been well-established in literature. There is less known about lowering rates of desertion (understood as the non-completion of an academic program). While it is generally agreed that there are multiple causes (individual, institutional, and state), several authors suggest that low academic results and low motivation in an educational process are important causes. In the case of Santo Tomás University, the site of study for this research project, the desertion index in engineering programs is close to 45%. The course with the highest failure rates is introductory mathematics (offered in the first year). Given this context, this research project proposed innovative pedagogical strategies and mediations , targeting the motivation indexes of university-aged students enrolled in mathematics courses. Game-based learning and mixed methods were employed to design a set of two didactic strategies: (A) Kahoot Online Testing Tool, and (B) Online Crossword. The target population was represented by 20 students enrolled in a differential calculus course, as part of the first-year engineering program. For benchmarking purposes, the participants were given a diagnostic calculus test. Next, an adaptation of Instructional Material Motivation Survey was applied, which allowed me to measure the dimensions of attention, confidence, satisfaction, and relevance . The results demonstrated that the pedagogical innovation positively impacted student motivation. The most significant results include the importance of planning rigorous learning activities, incorporating problems from the real student environment, and the importance of offering immediate feedback.