Study of the Training of Environmentalists through Gamification as A University Course

The United Nations Agenda for 2030 lists Sustainable Development Goals which include quality education, which we have pursued in the Undergraduate Final Project of the Environmental Sciences Degree at the University of Granada (Spain). This entailed designing sustainable cities, including the management of natural hazards. We created an innovative didactic model using gamification, in which the student adopted the researcher role using the computer game Cities: Skylines as a simulation tool. Using a design-based method, we conducted a qualitative single-case study in which the professor observed the process and guided the student’s self-learning in a fun way. Under this guidance, the student made decisions alone in order to simulate a sustainable city, and afterwards to analyse the findings. Three variables were considered in order to evaluate the results concerning the quality of the student’s learning: (1) the experiment using the game, (2) motivation, and (3) the skills acquired. In all three, the student earned a high score. Of the 12 skills established as the specific goals of the teaching plan, the student reached a very high level in 10, and a high level in two, implying the overall success of the learning process. The study achieved its main goal, as an innovative didactic methodology was established based on student’s research, using gamification and simulation with a technological tool. Moreover, the case study gave positive results, with the student proving capable of developing scientific and professional competencies at an optimal level.