Oriol Borras-Gene

Scopus Publications

The Time Machine: Impact of a Branching Narrative Serious Game on Student Motivation and Persistence
Rubén Callejo-Martín, Raquel Montes Díez, Oriol Borrás-Gené
Education Sciences, 2026
In higher education, maintaining student engagement in voluntary activities remains a challenge. While serious games are recognized for enhancing motivation, evidence regarding their long-term effectiveness in non-graded contexts is limited. This study evaluates the impact of “The Time Machine”, an interactive branching-narrative serious game, on academic motivation and participation. A quasi-experimental study was conducted across 14 undergraduate courses. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire-Short Form (MSLQ-SF) was administered in three surveys (Survey 1, Survey 2, Survey 3). In total, 404 students completed at least one survey (635 questionnaire records). Longitudinal analyses (Friedman test) were conducted on the complete-case sample (n = 65) comprising students who responded to all three surveys and revealed no statistically significant changes in motivational dimensions. Completion rates (defined as responding to all three surveys) were significantly dependent on the implementation context (Fisher’s test, p < 0.001), being higher in groups with direct instructional support. Additionally, female students reported significantly higher test anxiety than males, while prior affinity for video games showed no influence on motivational outcomes. Narrative-driven serious games can sustain motivation over time effectively. However, their success relies critically on pedagogical scaffolding and teacher involvement rather than solely on game mechanics or students’ gamer profiles.
IMPROVING MOTIVATION IN FUTURE TEACHERS: FLIPPED CLASSROOM AND GAMIFICATION USING DIGITAL BADGES
Oriol Borras-Gene, Raquel Montes Díez
Journal of Information Technology Education Innovations in Practice, 2025
Aim/Purpose: This paper addresses the problem of low student engagement, motivation, and deep learning in traditional university teaching methods. It explores how integrating flipped classroom strategies and gamification through digital badges can effectively overcome some of these limitations. Background: With the consolidation of active methodologies in higher education, supported by blended learning environments and innovative tools, the flipped classroom and gamification have gained prominence as strategies to enhance participation and self-regulated learning. Yet, their joint application in teacher training programs remains underexplored, particularly regarding their impact on digital competence development. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative research approach, analyzing student performance data (grades, tasks completed, video viewing) and survey responses on perceptions of the teaching methods used. The research sample consisted of 63 first-year university students enrolled in an Early Childhood Education bachelor’s degree at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. Contribution: This paper contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of combining flipped classroom methodologies with gamification elements, specifically digital badges, in enhancing student motivation, engagement, and academic performance. It highlights how structured integration of technology-supported active learning strategies can successfully address challenges commonly associated with traditional educational methods. Findings: Students who participated in the flipped classroom model and earned digital badges demonstrated significantly higher academic performance compared to those who did not complete the full intervention. The flipped classroom methodology was highly accepted by students, who perceived pre-class video viewing as more effective than traditional lectures. Digital badges effectively increased student motivation and provided a clear visualization of their learning progress, encouraging higher engagement and course completion rates. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners should integrate flipped classroom approaches with gamification techniques, such as digital badges, to boost student engagement, motivation, and academic performance. Additionally, they are encouraged to develop interactive multimedia content that clearly communicates learning progress and outcomes, thereby enhancing students’ active participation. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are encouraged to investigate further the integration of gamification strategies, such as digital badges, within flipped classroom models to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. Impact on Society: The wider implications are that adopting active, technology-supported methodologies, such as flipped classrooms and gamification, in higher education can significantly improve student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes, ultimately fostering essential digital skills among future educators and positively influencing teaching practices in broader educational contexts. Future Research: The future goal is to develop a more comprehensive badge system designed to engage students from the outset, particularly targeting those at risk of dropping out, by assigning badges to incremental achievements, such as completing individual lessons.
The Creation and Evaluation of an AI Assistant (GPT) for Educational Experience Design
Antonio Julio López-Galisteo, Oriol Borrás-Gené
Information Switzerland, 2025
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has revolutionized numerous aspects of our lives and presents significant opportunities in education. However, specific digital competencies are essential to effectively leverage this technology’s potential. Notably, prompt engineering proficiency presents a significant barrier to achieving optimal outcomes. In response, various solutions are being developed, including custom GPTs available through OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform. This study validates ‘GamifIcA Edu’, a specialized GPT-based assistant for gamification and serious games, designed to enable educators to implement these pedagogical approaches without requiring advanced prompt engineering expertise. This is achieved through the utilization of pre-designed instructional frameworks. The assistant’s effectiveness was evaluated using a comprehensive rubric across five distinct use-case scenarios. Each scenario underwent four different tests, representing varied learning contexts across multiple academic disciplines. The validation methodology involved a systematic assessment of the assistant’s performance in diverse educational settings. The findings demonstrate the successful implementation of this custom-designed GPT, which generated contextually appropriate responses through natural language interactions, thus eliminating the need for complex prompt structures. This research highlights the potential of instruction-based design in the development of AI assistants that empower users with limited prompt engineering knowledge to achieve expert-level results. These findings have significant implications for the democratization of AI-enhanced educational tools.
AI-Generated Context for Teaching Robotics to Improve Computational Thinking in Early Childhood Education
Raquel Hijón-Neira, Celeste Pizarro, Oriol Borrás-Gené, Sergio Cavero
Education Sciences, 2024
This study investigates the impact of AI-generated contexts on preservice teachers’ computational thinking (CT) skills and their acceptance of educational robotics. This article presents a methodology for teaching robotics based on AI-generated contexts aimed at enhancing CT. An experiment was conducted with 122 undergraduate students enrolled in an Early Childhood Education program, aged 18–19 years, who were training in the Computer Science and Digital Competence course. The experimental group utilized a methodology involving AI-generated practical assignments designed by their lecturers to learn educational robotics, while the control group engaged with traditional teaching methods. The research addressed five key factors: the effectiveness of AI-generated contexts in improving CT skills, the specific domains of CT that showed significant improvement, the perception of student teachers regarding their ability to teach with educational robots, the enhancement in perceived knowledge about educational robots, and the overall impact of these methodologies on teaching practices. Findings revealed that the experimental group exhibited higher engagement and understanding of CT concepts, with notable improvements in problem-solving and algorithmic thinking. Participants in the AI-generated context group reported increased confidence in their ability to teach with educational robots and a more positive attitude toward technology integration in education. The findings highlight the importance of providing appropriate context and support when encouraging future educators to build confidence and embrace educational technologies. This study adds to the expanding research connecting AI, robotics, and education, emphasizing the need to incorporate these tools into teacher training programs. Further studies should investigate the lasting impact of such approaches on computational thinking skills and teaching methods in a variety of educational environments.
A Hybrid Escape Room to Foster Motivation and Programming Education for Pre-Service Teachers
Oriol Borrás-Gené, Raquel Hijón-Neira, Pedro Paredes-Barragán, Lucía Serrano-Luján
International Journal of Game Based Learning, 2024
Educational escape rooms aims to motivate students, to strengthen knowledge and evaluate learning. Pre-service teachers enrolled in “Computer Science and Digital Competency” course shows lack of motivation and difficulties to realise its usefulness in everyday practice, becoming an ideal context to apply this strategy. 157 students belonging to a European university participated in the experience as case study. The educational escape room was conducted following a hybrid model, mixing a physical organization of props with a virtual organization of the narrative, tests and achievements. The experiment was designed to answer two hypotheses, first if applying escape room as an educational strategy fosters pre-primary and primary students' motivation, since this method address complex concepts in a practical way, and second, if the application of this strategy as teaching strategy makes students perceive the learning process as a game.
Effects of a Personal Learning Environment Approach in a Master’s Program for Future Teachers
Gaspar Berbel Gimenez, Oriol Borras-Gene
Education Sciences, 2023
Personal learning environments or their acronym PLEs are understood as a set of tools, resources, connections, and activities that each person regularly uses for learning. This study examines the PLE approach in a university setting, evaluating its impact on student learning in a university subject within an education master’s program. The effect is assessed from two perspectives: a quantitative one based on the ‘PLE test’—administered at the beginning and end of the course—and a qualitative one based on the assessment provided by the students themselves regarding the impact of training in digital tools and competencies on their PLE, at the beginning and end of the course. The ‘PLE test’ measures four factors: time organization, creation–editing, searching–investigating, and collaborating–contact networks. In all four factors, by the end of the course, there is a significant increase in usage scores, especially in the last two. The students’ assessments of the evolution of their PLEs reflect the evident impact of this approach as a strategy for more effective and self-managed learning.
Digital Educational Escape Room Analysis Using Learning Styles
Oriol Borrás-Gené, Raquel Montes Díez, Almudena Macías-Guillén
Information Switzerland, 2022
Teachers often need to adapt their teaching methodologies in order to overcome possible limitations and ensure that education does not lose quality in the face of different scenarios that may arise in the educational environment, which are not always the most desirable. Techniques such as the Educational Escape Room (ERE) in higher education, are taking a great increase due to its popularity among young people as a leisure activity. This study shows an educational research based on the application of a Digital Educational Escape Room (DEER) to respond to the limitations of hybrid teaching with students divided between the classroom and their homes. Through the analysis of a control group, with a traditional lecture class, and an experimental group with the use of a pretest and a posttest, with the addition of studying the different learning styles of the students in each group, interesting results and conclusions have been obtained that offer a replicability of this technique for other fields and educational modalities.
Professional and Academic Digital Identity Workshop for Higher Education Students
Oriol Borrás-Gené, Lucía Serrano-Luján, Raquel Montes Díez
Information Switzerland, 2022
Public virtual profiles arose with the evolution of the web and its related technologies. The individual virtual profiles leave a digital footprint that serves as a showcase of the individual. The analysis and management of what is known as digital identity should be an element to be mastered within the digital competencies of future professionals and current university students. This work describes the research carried out over four years through the Digital Identity Workshop, whose public is higher education students. The research has a double objective; first, to study the student’s self-analysis and self-reflection based on his presence on the web; second, to learn strategies for correctly managing his digital identity from the professional and academic point of view. The result has been a success in meeting these objectives after the various editions of the workshop. Pre and post-tests show a significant increase in the students’ digital skills in this field of personal branding.
Analyzing the Influence of Belbin’s Roles on the Quality of Collaborative Learning for the Study of Business Fundamentals
Sandra Flores Ureba, Clara Simón de Blas, Oriol Borrás-Gené, Almudena Macías-Guillén
Education Sciences, 2022
This work uses Belbin’s balanced group theory to analyze whether the formation of teams improved the performance of 21 groups formed by the 149 students of an Introduction to Business class in a collaborative learning environment in Higher Education. The analysis is based on a comparison of two types of groups: balanced groups (according to Belbin’s role theory) and those that are not so balanced. The analysis techniques used to determine any significant differences in student grade scores were the student average comparison and the Chi homogeneity tests. The relevance of the different roles that students can acquire when forming work groups was derived from multiple regression in the exams and practices punctuations, and the relevance of each student role was determined by discriminant analysis. The results indicate that balanced groups facilitate greater homogeneity in group grades, improving the performance of the group overall.
Students and teachers using mentimeter: Technological innovation to face the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic in higher education
J. Ignacio Pichardo, Esteban F. López-Medina, Olga Mancha-Cáceres, Isabel González-Enríquez, Alejandro Hernández-Melián, Maribel Blázquez-Rodríguez, Virginia Jiménez, Marina Logares, David Carabantes-Alarcon, Mónica Ramos-Toro, Esther Isorna, Mónica Cornejo-Valle, Oriol Borrás-Gené
Education Sciences, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted higher university lecturers to develop their digital skills in order to adapt to online teaching. A group of university teachers decided to evaluate the educational uses of Mentimeter to promote student participation and active learning. A questionnaire was answered by 400 students and 12 participating academics. These 12 academic respondents also participated in a focus group after experiencing this software during an academic course. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed to conclude that this software not only facilitated student participation during the pandemic (both face-to-face and online) in synchronous and asynchronous ways but also improved attention, engagement, collaborative learning and interaction. Immediate feedback made it possible for teachers to monitor the students’ learning processes and to adjust the content and pace accordingly. Students and educators highlighted the inclusive potential of this tool, as it allows participation from a diverse audience with different backgrounds and capacities, ensuring inclusive and equitable education for all. Some opportunities for improvement were also identified, namely more functions to make the software more attractive and adapt it to different educational objectives.
Educational hall escape: Increasing motivation and raising emotions in higher education students
Almudena Macías-Guillén, Raquel Montes Díez, Lucía Serrano-Luján, Oriol Borrás-Gené
Education Sciences, 2021
A guided scratch visual execution environment to introduce programming concepts to cs1 students
Raquel Hijón-Neira, Cornelia Connolly, Daniel Palacios-Alonso, Oriol Borrás-Gené
Information Switzerland, 2021
Enhancing fun through gamification to improve engagement in MOOC
Oriol Borrás-Gené, Margarita Martínez-Núñez, Luis Martín-Fernández
Informatics, 2019
Empowering MOOC participants: Dynamic content adaptation through external tools
Oriol Borrás-Gené
Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics, 2019
Use of digital badges for training in digital skills within higher education
Oriol Borras-Gene
Siie 2018 2018 International Symposium on Computers in Education Proceedings, 2018
Teaching FEM software in formal and non-formal environment with MOOCs
Ricardo Castedo, Anastasio P. Santos, Lina M. López, María Chiquito, Oriol Borrás-Gené
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2018
Micro flip teaching ‒ An innovative model to promote the active involvement of students
Angel Fidalgo-Blanco, Margarita Martinez-Nuñez, Oriol Borrás-Gene, Javier J. Sanchez-Medina
Computers in Human Behavior, 2017
Learning Communities in Social Networks and Their Relationship with the MOOCs
Juan Cruz-Benito, Oriol Borras-Gene, Francisco J. Garcia-Penalvo, Angel Fidalgo Blanco, Roberto Theron
Revista Iberoamericana De Tecnologias Del Aprendizaje, 2017
Virtual learning communities in Google plus, implications, and sustainability in MOOCs
Margarita Martinez-Nuñez, Oriol Borras-Gene, Ángel Fidalgo-Blanco
Journal of Information Technology Research, 2016
Detection of non-formal and informal learning in Learning Communities supported by social networks in the context of a cooperative MOOC
Juan Cruz-Benito, Oriol Borras-Gene, Francisco J. Garcia-Penalvo, Angel Fidalgo Blanco, Roberto Theron
2015 International Symposium on Computers in Education Siie 2015, 2016
New Challenges for the motivation and learning in engineering education using gamification in MOOC
International Journal of Engineering Education, 2016
Extending MOOC ecosystems using web services and software architectures
Juan Cruz-Benito, Oriol Borrás-Gené, Francisco J. García-Peñalvo, Ángel Fidalgo Blanco, Roberto Therón
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2015
Evolution of the conversation and knowledge acquisition in social networks related to a MOOC course
Francisco J. García-Peñalvo, Juan Cruz-Benito, Oriol Borrás-Gené, Ángel Fidalgo Blanco
Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics, 2015
Social community in MOOCs: Practical implications and outcomes
Margarita Martínez Núñez, Oriol Borrás Gené, Ángel Fidalgo Blanco
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2014
Gamification in MOOC: Challenges, opportunities and proposals for advancing MOOC model
Oriol Borrás Gené, Margarita Martínez Núñez, Ángel Fidalgo Blanco
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2014

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Fundamentos de gamificación
O Borrás Gené
UPM , 2015
2015.0
Citations: 293
Micro flip teaching‒An innovative model to promote the active involvement of students
A Fidalgo-Blanco, M Martinez-Nuñez, O Borrás-Gene, ...
Computers in Human Behavior 72, 713-723 , 2017
2017.0
Citations: 230
Gamification in MOOC: challenges, opportunities and proposals for advancing MOOC model
OB Gené, MM Núñez, ÁF Blanco
TEEM, 215-220 , 2014
2014.0
Citations: 226
New Challenges for the Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education Using Gamification in MOOC
O Borras-Gene, M Martinez-Nuñez, A Fidalgo-Blanco
International Journal of Engineering Education 32 (1(b)), 501–512 , 2016
2016.0
Citations: 217
Educación en abierto: Integración de un MOOC con una asignatura académica
ÁF Blanco, MLSE Lacleta, OB Gené, FJG Peñalvo
Teoría de la Educación. Educación y Cultura en la Sociedad de la Información … , 2014
2014.0
Citations: 216
Students and teachers using mentimeter: Technological innovation to face the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic in higher education
JI Pichardo, EF López-Medina, O Mancha-Cáceres, I González-Enríquez, ...
Education Sciences 11 (11), 667 , 2021
2021.0
Citations: 131
Extending MOOC ecosystems using web services and software architectures
J Cruz-Benito, O Borrás-Gené, FJ García-Peñalvo, ÁF Blanco, R Therón
Proceedings of the XVI international conference on Human Computer … , 2015
2015.0
Citations: 95
Evolution of the Conversation and Knowledge Acquisition in Social Networks related to a MOOC Course
FJ García-Peñalvo, J Cruz-Benito, O Borrás-Gené, ÁF Blanco
Learning and Collaboration Technologies: Second International Conference … , 2015
2015.0
Citations: 93
Introducción a la gamificación o ludificación (en educación)
O Borras-Gené
Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos , 2022
2022.0
Citations: 66
Enhancing fun through gamification to improve engagement in MOOC
O Borrás-Gené, M Martínez-Núñez, L Martín-Fernández
Informatics 6 (3), 28 , 2019
2019.0
Citations: 60
Educational hall escape: Increasing motivation and raising emotions in higher education students
A Macías-Guillén, RM Díez, L Serrano-Luján, O Borrás-Gené
Education Sciences 11 (9), 527 , 2021
2021.0
Citations: 56
Learning communities in social networks and their relationship with the MOOCs
J Cruz-Benito, O Borras-Gene, FJ Garcia-Penalvo, AF Blanco, R Theron
IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologias del Aprendizaje 12 (1), 24-36 , 2017
2017.0
Citations: 50
Social community in MOOCs: practical implications and outcomes
MM Núñez, OB Gené, ÁF Blanco
TEEM, 147-154 , 2014
2014.0
Citations: 33
Virtual learning communities in Google plus, implications, and sustainability in MOOCs
M Martinez-Nuñez, O Borras-Gene, A Fidalgo-Blanco
Journal of Information Technology Research (JITR) 9 (3), 18-36 , 2016
2016.0
Citations: 32
Usando mentimeter en educación superior: herramienta digital en línea para incentivar y potenciar la adquisición de conocimiento de manera lúdica
VJ Rodríguez, M Blázquez-Rodríguez, JIP Galán, D Carabantes-Alarcón, ...
Etic@ net. Revista científica electrónica de Educación y Comunicación en la … , 2022
2022.0
Citations: 30
Detección de aprendizaje no formal e informal en Comunidades de Aprendizaje soportadas por Redes Sociales en el contexto de un MOOC Cooperativo
J Cruz-Benito, O Borrás-Gené, FJ García-Peñalvo, Á Fidalgo-Blanco, ...
Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal (Portugal). Escola Superior de Educação , 2015
2015.0
Citations: 29
AI-Generated Context for Teaching Robotics to Improve Computational Thinking in Early Childhood Education
R Hijón-Neira, C Pizarro, O Borrás-Gené, S Cavero
Education Sciences 14 (12), 1401 , 2024
2024.0
Citations: 27
Use of digital badges for training in digital skills within higher education
O Borrás-Gené
2018 International Symposium on Computers in Education (SIIE), 1-7 , 2018
2018.0
Citations: 27
Digital Educational Escape Room Analysis Using Learning Styles
O Borrás-Gené, RM Díez, A Macías-Guillén
Information 13 (11), 522 , 2022
2022.0
Citations: 25
Gamificación de un MOOC y su comunidad de aprendizaje a través de actividades
O Borrás-Gené, M Martinez-Nuñez, Á Fidalgo-Blanco
Conference: III Congreso Internacional sobre Aprendizaje, Innovación y … , 0
Citations: 22

Oriol Borras-Gene

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Scopus Publications

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS