Who's Who in Zoology. Transversal application of gamification and new technologies in university teaching

Jaime Galan ElviraPablo Palau Irisarri^*

• Alfonso X el Sabio University, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

In the current era, particularly with the proliferation of digital tools and platforms such as social media and artificial intelligence, education faces significant challenges in competing for students' attention in contexts of hyperstimulation and immediate results. Many traditional educational tools and models risk becoming obsolete if they fail to adapt to the rapidly changing pace of society. Nevertheless, this presents an exciting opportunity for educators who aim to stay current and ensure the highest possible quality of teaching, while adapting to the needs of today's students without compromising scientific rigor and academic standards. In this context, we developed and implemented various gamification tools in the Biology course of the Veterinary Medicine degree, with the aim of creating a more engaging and up-to-date educational model. Notably, we adapted the classic "Who's Who?" game into a zoology version, used the well-known Kahoot! platform to review practical course content, and designed dynamic classes that fostered debates and teamwork to solve complex challenges. Following their implementation, we evaluated metrics such as grades and survey results on students' perceptions of the course, their knowledge, interest, and the involvement of the teaching team. The results were highly positive, showing that the integration of gamification strategies enhanced not only students' perceptions of the course and its teaching team, but also their learning outcomes, interest, and even grades.