Gamification-based strategy for developing computational thinking as a 21st-century skill focused on university students

Abstract

In 21st-century education, the development of computational thinking (CT) has become established as a fundamental skill, while gamification is emerging as a pedagogical strategy to increase student motivation. However, teaching CT concepts to university students often faces challenges related to low motivation and the perception of high difficulty. Therefore, the objective of this study was to implement and validate the acceptance of a gamification-based teaching strategy to facilitate CT learning in engineering students. To this end, a quantitative methodology was employed through a pilot test with first-semester students, using a Likert scale questionnaire to assess perceptions of the usability, efficiency, and overall satisfaction with the developed platform. The main results revealed a largely positive acceptance of the tool, with high ratings for ease of use, clarity of information, and overall satisfaction, indicating that the design was successful and did not present any learning barriers. The main conclusion is that the gamification strategy, embodied in the platform, is a viable and motivating pedagogical resource that generates a satisfactory user experience, laying the foundations for its future implementation in the formal teaching of computational thinking..