This article presents the application of an innovative pedagogical practice within the curricular unit Introduction to Management, taught in the first year of the first cycle in Management, with approximately 120 students enrolled across two groups. The 120-minute session focused on the study of motivation theories within the managerial function of directing. Traditional and digital tools were combined to stimulate active student participation, foster critical thinking, and encourage collaborative work within a dynamic and interactive learning environment.

The primary objective of implementing this pedagogical practice was to promote student engagement and to assess the impact of using active methodologies in the learning process of theoretical content, in this case focusing on theories of employee motivation.

In addition to encouraging student engagement, the developed practice was structured to ensure that the work carried out at each stage was quantitatively reflected in the individual assessment, and it was supported by two lecturers external to the curricular unit, in order to incorporate a teaching perspective.

To assess the impact of the pedagogical practice, a questionnaire was administered both to the students (14 questions) and to the lecturers (13 questions), allowing for more detailed insights into the experience, particularly concerning the most effective aspects and the challenges of implementation. The questionnaire was based on a 7-point Likert scale, with questions focused on motivation and the perceived effectiveness of the pedagogical approach in facilitating learning. A total of 22 responses were received from Group 1 (TP1), comprising 53 participating students, and from Group 2 (TP2), with 31 participating students. Between 80% and 90% of students rated nine of the questions within the 5 to 7 range on the agreement scale, indicating a broadly positive perception regarding engagement, clarity of the practice, and the value of collaborative work.

In addition to these findings, the two external lecturers also rated ten of the questions between 6 and 7, further reinforcing the positive assessment of the practice from a pedagogical standpoint, as well as its applicability and potential for replication.

The responses revealed some differences in motivation and performance between the groups. Participation in the questionnaire suggests that TP2, with a response rate of approximately 61.3% and fewer enrolled students, adapted more effectively to the implemented practice than TP1, which had a response rate of around 41.5%. In all questions, TP2 consistently exceeded TP1 in the proportion of responses within the higher agreement range (5 to 7). These results seem to suggest that factors such as class composition, prior engagement with the work, and group dynamics may influence how students adapt to the implementation of innovative methodologies.

This practice was developed as part of the Teacher Training Project - EPIC: Pedagogical Excellence and Innovation in Co-creation, Impulso Mais Digital, which aims to promote innovative pedagogical strategies in higher education. The results obtained seem to reinforce the importance of diversifying pedagogical practices and valuing the active participation of students as key elements for success in the teaching-learning process, as well as the continuous training of teachers and the need to adapt pedagogical strategies to the specific context of each class.

Keywords: Motivation, digital methodologies, active learning, innovation.