“Zombie attack” a new way to teach Chemistry

The Higher Education requires new models which allow training people able to adapt and survive in changing environments. It is based on the use of technologies and the adaptation of knowledge to people. It is about an education according to circumstances, which is adapted to context and virtual behaviour of people. One of the main difficulties that lecturers find in the classroom is how to maintain students' attention and interest in their subject, especially when students also think that the subject is not important for their training. In order to motivate these students, innovation in educational techniques and methodologies, such as experiential learning, are progressively being imposed to and/or coordinated with the traditional ones. Escape Room is a very modern concept in education, based on the development of mental skills for the solution of enigmas and problems. It is a tool to develop the cooperative, cognitive, deductive and logical reasoning skills of the students. In this work, an educational gamification experience based on the escape room concept is presented. The students have 1 hour and 30 minutes to carry out this activity. They will have to solve four puzzles and enigmas that will give them the key to open a treasure chest and finally let them escape from the classroom. Logic, ingenuity and teamwork will allow participants to develop not only chemical competence, but also other basic skills. The story that is told throughout the escape room is a zombie attack: the city has been infected (with a virus) and only the occupants of the room where the activity takes place have not been infected. In addition, they can all protect themselves if they are able to open the chest where the antidote is located. The aim of this activity is to enhance the knowledge acquired throughout the semester as well as the development of skills.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Guidelines Based on Need-Findings Study and Communication Types to Design Interactions for MOOCs

Experts affirm that interaction in learning settings represent a necessary process for knowledge acquisition and cognitive development. In this vein, is crucial to ensure effective interaction and communication through the user interface of MOOCs. This work proposes a set of design guidelines as starting point for developers to integrate a set of interactive elements into the MOOCs' user interface oriented to foster the four basic types for communication in distance education. The design guidelines were conformed through a need-findings process (observing people-interviewing), in which 35 participants provided their user experience perceptions after using MOOCs from edX; Coursera; and Udacity. Obtained results suggest a particular set of interactive communication elements that should be incorporated in every MOOC's user interface

Formación en sostenibilidad y su efecto en el comportamiento y la actitud de los estudiantes universitarios

El trabajo se basa en un estudio sobre la formación y el conocimiento de los alumnos universitarios acerca del concepto sostenibilidad aplicado al turismo, con el fin de analizar su efecto en el comportamiento y la actitud de los estudiantes cuando viajan. Se integra en un proyecto internacional más amplio basado en una encuesta on-line, que en este caso se ha dirigido a los alumnos de la Facultad de Turismo y Finanzas y de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales de la Universidad de Sevilla. Los objetivos del trabajo son los siguientes: 1) Comparar los resultados de los alumnos de Turismo con los de Administración de Empresas, Economía y Marketing y observar si existen diferencias entre los dos grupos de estudiantes, tanto en relación con su formación sobre la materia, como con su comportamiento y actitud frente al turismo sostenible. 2) De existir diferencias, ver en qué medida pudieran derivarse de la formación recibida y asimismo del contacto con el sector económico sobre el que se analiza el concepto de sostenibilidad. Los resultados del trabajo refuerzan nuestra idea inicial de la necesidad de incorporar el concepto de sostenibilidad en programas y titulaciones universitarias y plantear no solo conocimientos disciplinares orientados al “saber” y profesionales orientados al “saber hacer”, sino también actitudes para un compromiso ético orientadas a la protección del medio ambiente y a la preservación de los pueblos y su cultura.Our paper is focused on a study about the education and knowledge of university students of the concept of sustainability as applied to tourism with the aim of analysing its effect on their behaviour and attitudes when travelling. The current study is integrated in a wider international project based on an on-line survey, that in this case has been focused on the students of the Faculty of Tourism and Finance and the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies of the University of Seville. The objectives of the paper are: 1) To compare the results of the Tourism students with those of the Business Management, Economics and Marketing students, and to observe if there are differences between the two groups of students, both in relation to their education of the material, and also to their behaviour and attitudes towards sustainable tourism. 2) On the existence of these differences, to determine in what measure they could be derived from the education received, and likewise from the contact with the economic sector about which the concept of sustainability is analysed in our study. The results of the study reinforce our initial idea of the necessity for the incorporation of the concept of sustainability into the degree syllabus, in which not only should objectives focused on "to know" and "to know how to do" be considered, but also the attitudes towards an ethic commitment for the protection of the environment and for the preservation of the people and their cultures