This research analyzed university students’ perceptions of the use of generative artificial intelligence (hereafter Gen-AI) in a higher education context. Specifically, it addressed the potential benefits and challenges related to the application of these web-based resources. A mixed method was adopted and the sample consisted of 407 teacher training students enrolled in the Early Childhood and Primary Education Degrees in the Region of Murcia in Spain. The results indicated a clear recognition of the relevance of these technological tools for teaching and learning. Respondents highlighted the potential to engage them in academic tasks, increase their motivation, and personalize their learning pathways. However, participants identified some challenges related to technology dependency, ethical issues, and privacy concerns. By understanding learners’ beliefs and assumptions, educators and educational administrations can adapt Gen-AI according to learners’ needs and preferences to improve their academic performance. In learning practice, these adaptations could involve evidence-based interventions, such as AI literacy modules or hybrid assessment frameworks, to translate findings into practice. In addition, it is necessary to adjust materials, methodologies, and the assessment of the academic curriculum to facilitate student learning and ensure that all students have access to quality education and the adequate development of digital skills.

Augmented reality (AR) has evolved hand in hand with advances in technology, and today is considered as an emerging technique in its own right. The aim of our study was to analyze students’ perceptions of how useful AR is in the school environment. A non-experimental quantitative design was used in the form of a questionnaire in which 106 primary sixth-grade students from six schools in the Region of Murcia (Spain) participated. During the study, a teaching proposal using AR related to the content of some curricular areas was put forward in the framework of the 3P learning model. The participants’ perceptions of this technique were analyzed according to each variable, both overall and by gender, via a questionnaire of our own making, which had previously been validated by AR experts, analyzing its psychometric qualities. The initial results indicate that this technique is, according to the students, useful for teaching the curriculum. The conclusion is that AR can increase students’ motivation and enthusiasm while enhancing teaching and learning at the same time.

Twenty-first century education is firmly committed to training young people in new competencies that are transferable to a variety of life situations. Historical thinking as a methodological theory is emerging in a large number of countries. In thinking historically, the skills of the historians are used, so that the sources of the past can be interpreted and the generation of effective historical narratives can be enhanced. This study aims to compare the general perception of the teaching of history between two groups of baccalaureate students, with respect to the effectiveness and transferability of learning historical thinking. Specifically, the existing perception of the implementation of historical thinking competencies is collected after the pre- and post-evaluation of a unit plan developed with 93 students. A quantitative method was used, namely a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group. The results indicate a substantial improvement in the responses observed in the experimental group, compared to those obtained in the control group. This impact is associated with the didactic methodology implemented with both groups, which showed notable changes in the perception of the theory of historical thinking, as well as in the use of other digital resources and active methods. For the future, it is imperative to transfer these first indications to controlled evaluations of academic outcomes to consolidate the academic status of competency-based teaching in secondary education levels.

La evaluación de un programa formativo es un indicador valioso de la planificación seguida para articular con destreza la intervención y líneas de acción de cualquier proceso de enseñanza. Este artículo describe el camino recorrido para desarrollar y evaluar un programa de formación que versa sobre la enseñanza de la historia y la evaluación de competencias históricas en Enseñanza Secundaria, a partir de un modelo innovador que promueve la teoría del pensamiento histórico, como eje principal. Dicho programa formativo fue implementado y evaluado con estudiantes del Máster de Formación del Profesorado de Enseñanza Secundaria. Para ello se siguió un diseño cuantitativo, concretamente de tipo descriptivo no experimental tipo encuesta. Los resultados han sido satisfactorios, poniéndose en valor la adecuación del diseño y modelo de trabajo planteados. Los objetivos del programa se han cumplido, siendo algunos de los mejor valorados los referentes al aprendizaje en el diseño de unidades didácticas para la enseñanza de la historia y a la enseñanza sobre pensamiento histórico, la cual manifestaron útil para su formación como docentes. Igualmente, se ha demostrado que el aprendizaje de competencias históricas a través de la problematización del pasado, favorece la construcción de una ciudadanía capaz de lidiar exitosamente con la problemática viniente en la sociedad actual. The evaluation of a training program is a valuable indicator of the planning followed to skillfully articulate the intervention and lines of action of any teaching process. This article describes the path taken to develop and evaluate a training program that deals with the teaching of history and the evaluation of historical competencies in Secondary Education, based on an innovative model that promotes the theory of historical thought as its main axis. This training program was implemented and evaluated with students from the Master's in Teacher Training in Secondary Education. For this purpose, a quantitative research was followed, specifically a non-experimental, descriptive design study, based on a survey. The results have been satisfactory, valuing the adequacy of the design and working model proposed. The objectives of the programme have been met, some of the best valued being those relating to learning in the design of didactic units for the teaching of history and the teaching of historical thought, which proved useful for their training as teachers. Likewise, it has been demonstrated that the learning of historical skills through the problematization of the past favors the construction of a citizenry capable of successfully dealing with the problems arising in today's society.

Numerous studies have shown that a traditional model persists in the teaching of history, in which students are not allowed to think for themselves and are assigned a passive role based on the mere memorisation of information. This reality is in opposition to the technological and technical boom taking place in the current educational context and to the enhancement of innovative strategies and methodologies that mark the role that students must occupy as protagonists of their own learning. This paper aims to compare the perceptions and historical knowledge of 93 baccalaureate students (16–18 years of age) following the implementation of an intervention programme based on active learning situations mediated by augmented reality and historical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental quantitative design with a non-equivalent control group was employed to meet these objectives. The results showed higher scores in the perception and knowledge of students in the experimental group compared with those in the control group. This line of work should be continued in the future with new studies to corroborate these findings, prioritising pedagogical models based on student activity and protagonism via the use of technology and critical thinking.

The aim of this paper is to identify the most suitable activities and exercises for the development of historical knowledge and skills and their subsequent evaluation. On this basis, a quantitative study has been carried out among primary and secondary school teachers in several Spanish regions in which their perception of what types of exercises and activities (of those proposed in their History or Social Science classes) are most suitable for assessing the historical knowledge and skills that students are expected to acquire has been extracted. The results show that exercises involving the interpretation of texts and images which require students to think about and apply the historical knowledge acquired are very useful, as are questions which seek historical explanation and causal reasoning; however, objective tests (multiple-choice tests, linking dates with events, etc.) or short questions about historical events or characters are not considered to be very suitable for the adequate development of historical knowledge and, therefore, of historical competences. Broadly speaking, it is recommended that this line of research be continued so that other authors can replicate these findings, deepening their knowledge of these instruments, whose didactic commitment could serve as an argument in the face of the excessive time pressure faced by today’s teachers.