Blending learning: Una nueva forma de enfocar las sesiones prácticas - [Blending learning: A new way of approaching practical sessions]

Abstract

Competencies are highly appreciated by employers, especially those related to practical thinking. This reality is more evident in laboratory practical sessions, where students should apply theoretical knowledge to practical cases. The current work aims to apply the teaching methodology "Blended learning" that combines face-to-face teaching with online, in order to improve the acquisition of transversal competence "Application and practical thinking", as well as a greater internalization of learned concepts. The teaching methodology was implemented in undergraduate students, specifically in the laboratory sessions of the subject: Animal and Human Physiology (11109) of the second year of the Degree in Biotechnology at the Universitat Politècnica de València. The results obtained showed that the application of the teaching methodology allowed the development of practical thinking, since the categorical average grade was "A: Excellent". In addition, there was an improvement in the qualification of the note of the theoretical-practical evaluation, indicating a better internalization of the learned concepts. Therefore, it can be concluded that the “Blended learning” methodology has been an effective methodology for not only improving the acquisition of transversal competence, but also for academic qualification.