2025/05/06 by Joaquín Jiménez‐Puerto, Gianni Gallello · 1 voice
Psychology · Arts and Humanities · Computer Science · #Educational Games and Gamification #Museums and Cultural Heritage #Teaching and Learning Programming
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/jcal.70054
openalex publication_date 2025/05/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
ABSTRACT Background In the dynamic landscape of higher education, innovation through gamification has emerged as a successful approach to enhance student learning and motivation. Archaeological studies have particularly benefited from innovative pedagogy, as traditional teaching methods often struggle to engage younger generations. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of Minecraft Education Edition (MEE) in teaching archaeological stratigraphy principles to History students, particularly when traditional fieldwork is not feasible. Sample Third‐year History students ( n = 74) at the University of Valencia (Spain), participating in the “Recent Universal Prehistory” course. Method A mixed‐methods approach implementing both traditional teaching and MEE‐based instruction. Student learning was assessed through pre‐test, inter‐test, and post‐test evaluations, complemented by qualitative feedback analysis. Results Implementation of MEE demonstrated significant improvement in students' understanding of stratigraphic principles. The integration of technology and immersive experiences effectively bridged the gap between theory and practise, providing an interactive and experiential learning environment. Conclusions MEE proves to be an effective educational tool for teaching archaeological stratigraphy, particularly valuable when traditional fieldwork is not feasible. This innovative approach revitalises the teaching of crucial archaeological skills while providing a more engaging learning experience.