Flipped Classroom and Aronson´s Puzzle: a Combined Evaluation in the Master´s Degree in Preuniversitary Teaching

Abstract

This article presents a double evaluation carried out in the subject Didactics of Computer Science and Technology, corresponding to the Master's degree teacher training in secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training and languages taught by Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. Students of the subject had to learn how to prepare simple web pages, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript programming languages. To this end, flipped classroom technique was used to present the necessary contents, combined with an adaptation of Aronson's cooperative learning puzzle technique, used to carry out a group practice that reflected the knowledge acquired. It is worth mentioning, as a complement to the two techniques used, the use of an adapted assessment rubric, which was provided to the students at the beginning of the teaching block. The evaluation was carried out during two consecutive academic years, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. There were important differences between the two studies: in the first study, students' previous self-assigned level was much higher (2.8 points as opposed to 1.4 points on a scale of 1 to 5). The other difference, even more relevant, was that in the second year all teaching was done at home, in a non-attendance format, on a mandatory basis, due to the period of confinement decreed by the state of alarm at that moment, because of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, popularly known as coronavirus. It is remarkable that, despite these differences, the students expressed their satisfaction with the learning acquired and with the tasks performed in both cases. The techniques used were well-appreciated, in first year more than in the second, and especially flipped classroom. Scores obtained were, in addition, always very relevant.