Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612

7th International Conference on Intercultural Education “Education, Health and ICT for a
Transcultural World”, EDUHEM 2016, 15-17 June 2016, Almeria, Spain

ICT-Based Active Methodologies

Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez*
University of Granada, Faculty of Educational Science, Campus Cartuja s/n, Granada 18071, Spain

Abstract

This paper presents the research experience performed at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Granada on the
use of pedagogical tools that promote the student’s active learning, learning strategies supported by the methodological change in
teaching and learning promoted by the process of convergence with the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Specifically, we present innovative teaching experiences developed within the framework of several research and innovation
projects funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the University of Granada. These projects used ICT-based
tools to promote students’ active learning and awareness in their learning processes. The tools include eRubrics, concept maps,
project-based learning, ePortfolios and virtual learning environments.
© 2017
© 2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by by Elsevier
Elsevier Ltd.Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of EDUHEM 2016.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of EDUHEM 2016.
Keywords: Active learning; ICT; Higher Education; Virtual learning environments; Teaching methodologies

1. Introduction. Active learning methodologies and the requirements of the European Higher Education Area

In recent years, the Spanish university has undergone a process of convergence with the EHEA. This process has
served to redesign traditional conceptions of several aspects of education in many areas of academia, among them,
university teaching. The challenge is to respond to contemporary social realities by providing quality training in which
the support of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can become essential.
In the convergence process, European countries have shown a desire to join efforts in establishing a common
framework. This area (EHEA) continues not only to homogenize structures but to extend change to its approaches,

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +34-958-241-959; fax: +34-958-248-965.

E-mail address: vanesa@ugr.es

1877-0428 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of EDUHEM 2016.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2017.02.018
 Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612 607

introducing a reconceptualization of university teaching based on profound reflection on contemporary society’s needs
and adaptation of the education system to increasingly diverse and competitive realities.
One objective of European convergence is to optimize teaching planning processes to facilitate the visibility and
comparability of education programs (Zabalza, 2006). Ultimately, one of its political goals is to strengthen
comparability of education systems and exchange of professionals among countries.
This comparison cannot be reduced to simple legal frameworks that make the structure and duration of university
studies, names and granting of degrees and bureaucratic procedures more similar. The EHEA must engage in more
qualitative revision to optimize education processes, update its approaches, adjust them better to the knowledge society
in which we live, and in essence provide the highest-quality education possible to address these needs.
Parameters have been discussed to strengthen the foundations of this movement toward university renovation and
change. While these parameters include elements such as mobility, competitiveness and diversity, and the areas needed
to implement these elements, we must promote the pursuit of quality and excellence in all education processes.
Profound methodological change has also been highlighted and has come to focus on constructing new roles for teacher
and student. The student’s role is characterized by continuous long-life learning and development of greater autonomy
in his/her learning (Kramarsky & Michalsky, 2009).
Putting this conception of the student-focused learning process into practice must include techniques designed to
replace or complement traditional methodologies such as lecturing with learning experiences that grant students greater
responsibility. This more active role could be reflected, for example, in research into materials and bibliography
beyond class notes, or in providing/assigning open problems and tasks that require critical or reflective thinking
(Pastor, 2005). At this point, multiple ICT-based tools are available to support the student’s effort to construct his/her
own learning.
The new approach also changes the teacher’s role. In this process, teachers must pay more attention to the students’
learning process and to the very important role of mentoring. ICT can serve as a significant communication tool both
to establish a new dimension in student-teacher relationships and simultaneously to facilitate the teacher’s monitoring
and guidance of student learning.
Following this line of methodological change, Salinas (1997) argues that the training modalities supported in ICT
lead to new conceptions of the teaching-learning process that stress the student’s active implication in the learning
process, attention to emotional and intellectual skills at different levels, and training of teenagers to assume
responsibilities in a world that is changing quickly and constantly. Students’ flexibility to enter a labor market that
will demand lifelong training and the competencies required for this continuous learning process are also paramount.
The new technologies have thus become an irreplaceable tool of undeniable value and efficacy in the use of information
for educational purposes (Cabero, 2007). Because information sources are increasingly distributed and accessible to
all, it now seems difficult to imagine a university educational process that does not include the use of new technologies.
New technologies must be assigned as content and resources that facilitate the interaction and construction of learning
processes.

2. ICT-based active learning methodologies

The change from teacher-centered teaching to student-centered learning proposed by the EHEA convergence
process has meant methodological renovation and change in the current university educational model. The teaching-
learning process understood from this perspective seeks a student profile characterized by the following components:
active learner, autonomous, strategic, thoughtful, cooperative, responsible (March, 2006). To achieve this goal,
teachers use methods oriented to students’ participation and implication in their own learning, thereby rethinking key
concepts in our universities.
While we cannot establish definitively that some methodologies are better than others, we can affirm that higher-
order goals such as the development of critical thinking or autonomous learning are achieved more effectively and
appropriately through student-centered methods that maximize student participation. These methodologies, in which
the learning responsibility depends on the student’s activity, implication and commitment, produce deeper, more
significant and longer-lasting learning and facilitate knowledge transfer (March, 2006). Further, some studies show
that using active learning can improve students’ results in certain fields of knowledge (Freeman et al., 2014).
608 Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612

Another factor involved in the new educational scenarios is ICT, with its rapid incorporation into daily life (Rubio
& Álvarez, 2010). These days, professionals must be trained to enter the labor market and participate in a social world
in which technology is a key factor. As an engine of knowledge, the university must be one of the first agents to use
ICT properly, thereby contributing to its progress (Fernández López et al., 2006).
By ICT, we do not mean traditional media such as video, projectors, etc. Although these media can facilitate
transmission of information, they do not have great power to transform classroom teaching , as they are still based on
a transmissive model, in which the lecture tends to be the educational method par excellence (Zabalza, 2007).
The use of ICT (Internet, email, multimedia, video conference, etc.) in university teaching is having a much stronger
transformative effect, not only because it generates a change in the university professor’s role, but because it requires
collaborative work with computer technicians and design specialists, and the production of multimedia materials for
teaching (Zabalza, 2007).
Application of ICT to training actions, under the conception of flexible teaching, thus opens diverse frontiers for
change and renovation (Salinas, 2004):

x Changes in conceptions (how it works in the classroom, definition of educational processes, teacher’s identity,
etc.)
x Changes in the basic resources: contents (materials, etc.), infrastructures (network access, etc.), open use of these
resources (operated by the teachers, by the student, etc.)
x Changes in teachers’ and students’ practices

According to Rubio & Álvarez (2010), ICT can be integrated into Higher Education in several ways:
1. As a training object in itself
2. As part of the teaching-learning process, with its full implications for planning, methodology, mentoring, etc.
3. For research, as facilitator in:
4. Management, facilitating aspects as communication, speeding up, coordinating, etc.
5. As a medium. Although this function is implicit in points 1-4, we stress it by considering communication as
essential to the educational process; two-way communication strengthens the technologies, giving rise to an
interactive and reflexive model.

From the students’ point of view as the main protagonists in the teaching-learning process, use of ICT tools must
serve to (Esteve & Gisbert, 2011): (1) Motivate and encourage the student to be completely involved in the process,
interacting with reality and observing the results of this interaction. (2) develop critical and creative thinking skills.
(3) Integrate and retain information, facilitating understanding of what has been learnt in a comprehensive and dynamic
way. (4)Develop meaningful learning skills. (5) Develop skills that will turn into long-lasting competencies.
The student’s relationship to active methodologies is thus direct, since it can help to achieve the objectives of
participation and involvement, that is, the use of methods that focus on the student. The combination of effective use
of ICT tools and active learning strategies also has a positive impact on students’ perception of courses’ effectiveness
(Venkatesh, Croteau, & Rabah, 2014). It also seems to involve students more in their learning processes and in self-
regulation of the learning process, and to promote communication and discussion not only among students but also
with professors (Pinheiro & Simões, 2012).
In short, ICT use is coming to present an opportunity to transform university teaching, enabling the existence of
new forms of teaching-learning (blended learning, distance learning courses, etc.) that require new competencies not
only of teachers but also of students.
This transformation is achieved, as Yetton (1997) indicates, through new technologies’ contribution to university
teaching:
x Greater interaction between students and teachers
x More intense collaboration among students, promoting the emergence of work and discussion groups
x Students’ acquisition of new competencies through participation in virtual research laboratories
x Students’ access to an unlimited variety of educational resources
 Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612 609

3. Experiences at the University of Granada.

At the University of Granada, a team of professors from the Faculty of Educational Sciences has been working for
some years to include diverse ICT-supported active teaching-learning methodologies in our teaching. Through various
research and innovation processes funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the University of
Granada itself, we have implemented diverse initiatives with the help of ICT to promote our students’ active
participation in university classrooms.
The main objective of this paper is to describe the experiences of this team of teachers in working to incorporate
active ICT-based methodologies in the university classroom. The experiences are divided into three different projects.
We present the main tools and methodologies used, as well as some opinions expressed by the participants.
The impulse behind these projects comes from the reflections in the previous section on the EHEA convergence
process. According to the guidelines and recommendations of this process, it is necessary to get students involved and
engaged in their own learning in order to train autonomous, active professionals. To do this, we must introduce and
experiment with different methods and strategies to adapt them to our new context and test their results in different
circumstances. In addition to this motivation, the teachers involved in these projects note that students are increasingly
less in favor of traditional lecture-based classes and prefer active participation in their own learning processes. With
these motivations, we decided to reconsider some aspects of our teaching to introduce more active and participatory
strategies for the students.
In these strategies, the help of ICT was crucial from two perspectives. On the one hand, ICT was a useful tool and
resource to facilitate certain daily tasks, above all to provide interactivity and visibility. On the other, it helped the
students to acquire the digital competency essential to their development in today’s knowledge society. This digital
competency ranged from the use of simple programs to informational competency when searching for, distinguishing
and processing complex information.
We will now describe the experiences performed in the three projects studied, as well as the different technology
tools used in each.

3.1. eRubric Project

The first of the projects to be described was performed within the framework of a research project funded by the
Ministry of Education’s R&D programme entitled “Federate service of e-rubrics for the evaluation of university
learning”. The main objective of this project (coordinated by the University of Malaga) was to experiment with rubrics
for evaluation between peer- and self-assessment in a university context. In this project, three different methodological
tools were used to achieve the students’ active participation: eRubrics, concept maps and project-based work. These
methodological tools were used in five courses delivered from academic years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014. The subjects
were related to the use of technology in education. Approximately 300 students participated, from different degree
programmes in Education.
According to Barberá & De Martín (2009), a rubric takes the form of a double entry table that can join and relate
evaluation criteria, achievement levels and descriptors. The column indicates dimensions of quality and lists a series
of items or areas to be evaluated. The row indicates proficiency levels. At the intersection, one finds a textual
description of the qualities of the results and products at that dimension and level. Rubrics in digital format are called
eRubrics.
Using eRubrics for peer-assessment and for teamwork self-assessment makes students more aware of the
assessment mechanisms and criteria. This awareness helps them to work with those criteria in mind so that they
develop metacognitive learning tools, since they are more aware of how they perform these processes. Because we
intended active participation to be the main objective of the experience, this use of the rubrics was very appropriate
to our teaching planning.
The eRubrics designed were used in classroom activities performed throughout the course (four in total, related to
the theoretical contents of the subject). In small groups, the students carried out the activity in the corresponding
classroom and, once finished, used the eRubric created both to peer-evaluate the activity performed by their classmates
in other groups with one eRubric and to self-assess their teamwork using another eRubric.
610 Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612

The project employed different phases in developing the eRubric. In the first phase, digital rubrics were developed
using a platform to perform online surveys (LimeSurvey). Subsequently, in the second phase of the project, the
University of Malaga developed an eRubric platform (eRúbrica) with which we worked last year and that provided a
wider range of possibilities and access through each University’s identity supplier (Federate eRubric).
The second strategy that we used in this project was to have the students develop concept maps of the subject’s
theoretical contents. Development of concept maps is a technique used to represent knowledge. Concept maps
represent knowledge graphically, as a network of concepts linked through relationships that constitute the meaning of
the combination as a whole. The concept map is a powerful learning tool, since the construction process involves
relating new information to prior knowledge in order to achieve meaningful learning. Through the concept map, the
student demonstrates the knowledge he/she has about a topic.
Making a concept map helps us to think and learn. At the same time, the map can be used as a study technique and
for active learning—both of which are objectives pursued in this experience.
The theoretical content of the subjects in which we developed this work was divided into four main thematic units
around which we asked the students to develop content using the concept map. Since the work was delivered in digital
format, the students were asked to use the Cmap software Tools developed by the Institute for Human and Machine
Cognition (IHMC) for making and editing concept maps. This software is a free-use tool that enables easy creation of
concept maps by joining concepts and relationships. It also allows the maker to insert links, images and videos, and
to upload the map to the Internet for collaborative editing.
The last strategy developed in these subjects was project-based work. To apply the knowledge from the theoretical
part of the course, the students prepared a practical task. In small groups of five, the students developed a project to
integrate ICT into education. This project involved the use and integration of ICT in an educational context from
different perspectives, and the students worked on it throughout the semester. Completing this project combined the
characteristics of project-based learning, since the students researched, designed, planned, implemented and assessed
a product that could have direct application in their future as teachers. The project had to be in the field of their
common interests and involved collaborative work that forced them to talk and to agree on their ideas to build shared
knowledge.
To monitor the projects, the students made a blog in which they commented chronologically on the different steps,
actions and decisions taken in developing their work. This tool turned out to provide a very useful, interactive way for
the teachers to evaluate all of the students’ work and to provide them with the feedback required to continue improving
their projects. Taking advantage of Web 2.0 and students’ motivation to work with a tool that enables them to give
their work visibility, we managed in some cases to have students develop pages with numerous resources and useful
insights, not only for themselves but for anyone with interest in the topic chosen.
To prepare the blog, students used free sites that permit users to make the online blogs easily, mainly Blogger and
WordPress. It did not take too much effort for the students to use these tools, and they quickly developed basic working
knowledge.
After conclusion of the experiences, we gathered the students’ perceptions using opinion questionnaires with open
questions. The responses on the eRubrics showed that the students evaluated this methodology positively, pointing
out the power of comparing their activities with those of the rest of their classmates and highlighting the collaborative
and active attitude generated during the experience. The concept map generates more division of opinion, perhaps due
to the overly dense content of some parts of the course material, although many students acknowledged that the maps
served as a good learning tool. The most satisfying part for the students was the project-based learning; active
participation in the work motivated students and got them involved in the task, although some groups also had
problems of disorganization and poor planning.

3.2. ePortfolio Project

During academic years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, we performed an innovation project entitled “The ePortfolio as
educational strategy of learning and assessment. Implementation with Mahara integrated with Moodle”, funded by the
University of Granada. The main objective of this project was to experiment with the ePortfolio as a learning and
assessment tool in subjects from several courses in different Education degree programmes. In total, 16 courses
 Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612 611

participated in this experience, with a total of 969 students and 4 teachers from the two academic years.
The ePortfolio can be defined as the report or file (dossier), made and managed via Internet, in which the student
places his/her work, thoughts, experiences, etc., individually or as a group, while the teacher assesses the learning
process and accompanies it interactively (Cebrián & Raposo, 2011). The electronic or digital portfolio is one of the
ICT tools that focuses on the student’s learning processes when they are structured so that the students are engaging
in reflective practice. It can also support the instructor’s work. These characteristics make the ePortfolio particularly
appropriate in encouraging the student’s reflection, autonomous learning, and motivation and implication in the
subject.
To incorporate digital portfolios in our subjects, we had to develop an analysis and evaluation process for the use
to be given the tool in each of the courses in order to obtain full integration with each teacher’s own methods while
also following some common general patterns.
The technology tool was chosen by combining the virtual learning environment Moodle (to be discussed in the
next section) and integrating Mahara portfolio management. On a basic level, Mahara is two things: a system that
combines a portfolio and a social network. Evidence is generated through web pages built simply through a unit
structure that permit selective visibility. The students thus build evidence of their learning and can both share their
evidence and see that of their peers, encouraging creativity in use of the ICT at all times.
To determine the students’ satisfaction with the tool, we developed a questionnaire to be completed at the end of
the course. The questionnaire used to gather information had three dimensions: use of electronic portfolio as
methodological strategy, professors’ work and usability of portfolio through Moodle-Mahara. The questionnaire was
accompanied by a Likert-type scale from 1 to 5 (‘Strongly disagree’ to ‘Strongly agree’). The students’ response was
positive on all items of the first dimension, yielding an average of 3.7 for the item on students’ active participation
with ePortfolio. The aspect most favorably evaluated by the students was the autonomy this mode of work permitted.

3.3. PRADO Project

Starting in academic year 2014-2015, the University of Granada implemented the institutional platform PRADO.
PRADO is available for all professors to use in undergraduate courses in official degree programs. The work
environment is an instance of version 2.6 of the Moodle platform. This environment can achieve a real virtual learning
environment, and one of its greatest strengths is the large community of users that save and update it constantly. For
the last two academic years, the platform has been used actively to support classroom teaching and as a working tool
for students. Through several tools integrated in the environment, the teachers involved have tried to promote the
students’ active and autonomous learning. Among all of the options this platform provides, we will highlight those
we believe promote the kind of learning discussed here:
x Evaluation Questionnaires: The evaluation questionnaires were used at the end of each theoretical unit to
perform face-to-face evaluation of the contents covered in that unit. The platform allows introduction of a battery
of questions, creation of a questionnaire and selection of a specific number of questions at random from the
question bank. The main advantage is the immediate feedback.
x Forum activities: One frequently used tool is the forum, employed to perform activities and debates. One
advantage of the forum is the possibility that the students themselves grade their peers’ contributions. The tool
also enables the student to compare his/her results to those of others and to evaluate peers’ work.
x Rubrics: The tasks within the platform have been evaluated through the rubrics that Moodle provides to configure
each task. The students thus have the evaluation criteria and levels established beforehand so they can easily make
a preliminary self-assessment of their results.
x Badges: These elements contribute to increasing the student’s motivation. They are based on the use of game
theories in learning (gamification) and consist of awarding specific recognition (badges) to students who made a
noteworthy achievement on the platform. For example, we give badges to the students who participated most in
the forums, to those who delivered the best presentations, etc.

During these two academic years, the platform was used through these tools, but the students’ opinions of each
strategy had still not been evaluated. In general, the students appreciated our combining different resources that the
University had provided in a single space, but we did not collect specific opinions on each of these tools.
612 Vanesa-María Gámiz-Sánchez / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237 (2017) 606 – 612

4. Thoughts and Conclusions

In general, students and teachers express a positive attitude towards active use of ICT as a support for their teaching
and learning experiences. Although some students were initially a bit reluctant to learn new tools, the ease and
continuity of use across several years led the students ultimately to accept the tools in their personal learning
environments.
The students who participated in the eRubric project mention advantages like the following, more often in
assessment questionnaires collected at the end of the courses: (1) Ease of use, (2) constant communication, (3) work
speed (4)ease of obtaining materials (5) presence of subject resources (6) comparison of work among peers.
The students who took part in the ePortfolio project were asked their opinion at the end of the experience and
generally evaluated it as positive. The most highlighted aspects were the greater autonomy achieved and the ease and
quantity of resources available.
According to the perceptions of both teachers and students, one factor in need of improvement is the feedback that
students receive throughout the different experiences. Tools such as the Moodle questionnaires give immediate
feedback, but participants should continue to improve other strategies, such as peer- and self-assessment, so as not to
overload teachers with work.
Another way of working that we are beginning to try with the team of participating teachers is the use of flipped
classrooms as a strategy to foster the student’s active work. In this method, the student prepares some of the more
theoretical contents (readings, videos…) outside the classroom and uses class to perform activities that put the
competencies acquired into practice. The classroom becomes a collaborative work space in which the student can use
all of the resources at his/her disposition (laptops, tablets, cell phones, etc.) to do the work assigned.
The combination of all of these strategies, with the inestimable support of ICTs, should foster the student’s active
participation so that students become involved in their learning through a reflexive process to acquire a high level of
competencies.

References

Barberá, E. and De Martín, E. (2009). Portfolio electrónico: aprender a evaluar el aprendizaje. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
Cabero, J. (coord.) (2007). Tecnología Educativa. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
Esteve Mon, F. M., & Gisbert Cervet, M. (2011). El nuevo paradigma de aprendizaje y nuevas tecnologías. REDU. Revista de Docencia
Universitaria, 9(3), 55-73.
Fernández López, S. et al. (2006). Las TIC en el Sistema Universitario Español. Un análisis estratégico. Madrid: Conferencia de Rectores de las
Universidades Españolas (CRUE).
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student
performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.
Kramarski, B., & Michalsky, T. (2009). Investigating preservice teachers' professional growth in self-regulated learning environments. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 101(1), 161-175.
March, A. F. (2006). Metodologías activas para la formación de competencias. Educatio siglo XXI, 24.
Pastor, C. A. (2005). El profesorado y las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en el proceso de convergencia al Espacio Europeo de
Educación Superior. Revista de educación, 337, 13-36.
Pinheiro, M. M., & Simões, D. (2012). Constructing knowledge: An experience of active and collaborative learning in ICT classrooms. Procedia-
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 64, 392-401.
Rubio, A., & Álvarez, A. (2010). Formación de formadores después de Bolonia. Madrid: Editores Díaz de Santos SA.
Salinas, J. (1997). Nuevos ambientes de aprendizaje para una sociedad de la información. Revista pensamiento educativo, 20, 81-104.
Salinas, J. (2004). Innovación docente y uso de las TIC en la enseñanza universitaria. Revista universidad y sociedad del conocimiento, 1(1), 1-16.
Venkatesh, V., Croteau, A. M., & Rabah, J. (2014). Perceptions of effectiveness of instructional uses of technology in higher education in an era
of Web 2.0. In 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 110-119). IEEE.
Yetton, P. (1997). Managing the introduction of technology in the delivery and administration of Higher Education (Report No. EIP 97/3). AGPS,
Canberra. Retrieved from 1/6/98 de http://www.detya.gov.au/highered/eippubs/eip97_3.
Zabalza, M. A. (2006). El practicum y la formación del profesorado: Balance y propuesta para las nuevas titulaciones. In Escudero, J. M., & Gómez,
A. L. (Ed.) La formación del profesorado y la mejora de la Educación (309-330). Barcelona: Octaedro.
Zabalza, M. A. (2007). La enseñanza universitaria. El escenario y sus protagonistas. Madrid: Narcea.