Gamification in thermal engineering: Does it encourage motivation and learning?

Gamification is considered as an approach to motivate and engage students in their learning process. An empirical study is carried out here on the use of gamification techniques in two engineering courses, in the field of Thermal Engineering, taught in two Spanish universities during several academic years. Both courses have similar syllabuses, and require the understanding and application of relatively complex concepts, related to Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer. The aim of this work was to increase students´ motivation and to help them in the process of assimilating and establishing key concepts related to these courses. Students´ satisfaction with the activity was assessed by means of surveys designed and proposed according to the Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) model, using a statistical package. The students were quite satisfied with the participation in the activity, the teamwork, the organization, and the grades. However, they considered that the learning of concepts was stronger in traditional classes. No significant differences were found between degrees or group size. Incorporating gamification techniques has proved to have a motivating effect on students, getting them involved in learning and in the development of the course.