Comparative study between delivery modalities in higher education during emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19

Despite the difficulties faced during Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also true that such a situation has left a series of learnings that educational institutions around the world should capitalize on. Under this scenario, interest arose in studying three delivery modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, and remote) at the university level, aiming to compare the students' learning level and their perceptions of each delivery modality. The present study was developed in a private university in Mexico, following a quantitative methodological approach involving 360 students and 14 professors from various schools and geographical locations. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests and a perception questionnaire for students. Findings suggest that the students' learning level in every modality varies by school and that students positively perceive the three delivery modalities, albeit identifying factors that foster and hinder their learning process in each one. The results of this study contribute to strengthening the research field on teaching during ERT, allowing educational institutions to make better decisions regarding the quality of the educational offer.

Gamification during Covid-19: Promoting active learning and motivation in higher education

Virtual teaching modalities urgently implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic require strategies to motivate students to participate actively in higher education. Our study found that gamification using a reward-based system is a strategy that can improve the educational experience under exceptional circumstances. This article reports the results of two gamified undergraduate courses (Calculus and Development of Transversal Competencies) designed with a reward system. The results derived from analyses of online surveys, the final grades, and their correlations revealed that gamification helped motivate students to participate actively and improved their academic performance, in a setting where the mode of instruction was remote, synchronous, and online. From the results we conclude that gamification favours the relationship between attention, participation, and performance, while promoting the humanisation of virtual environments created during academic confinement. Implications for practice or policy: Gamification using a reward based system promoted active class participation and improved student performance after the transition from face-to-face to virtual instruction required as a result of the global pandemic. Systemic recognition in a reward-based system improved the participants' emotional states, reducing their anxiety and the feeling of isolation caused by the pandemic, and leading to student engagement with. Gamification works as an accompaniment for students to help the increasement of teacher-student and student-student interactions.