Active methodologies are those based on active student learning. The teacher organises activities to ensure the acquisition of the skills and knowledge necessary to pass the course. The subjects taught by the Department of Physical Chemistry in the Bachelor’s degrees of Food Science and Technology, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Pharmacy, or Biotechnology at the University of Granada require the resolution of problems and questions. Students must make an extra effort, which is not always easy for them, resulting in a low success and performance rate in these subjects.

The general objective of this project was to motivate students to solve the problems proposed by the teachers. To this end, new methodologies of active collaboration between students and teachers were used, based on virtual games in pairs or in groups. This project proposes to actively and virtually enhance the acquired skills, such as complex problem solving, critical thinking and team work, through the PRADO platform and/or with the support of other e-learning tools such as Genially. For this purpose, the project was divided into two blocks of activities:

In the first block, students solve a problem presented through a video that they upload to the platform. The teacher visualises the video and corrects possible errors before it is published. Afterwards, students will have to evaluate and be evaluated by their peers using a rubric provided by the teacher.

In the second proposal, students will play an Escape Room game in which they will solve different problems related to the topics studied in the course. Successful learners are rewarded with a prize in the form of a virtual badge and a positive grade in the continuous assessment.

The results showed that the percentage of student participation is higher when activities are scheduled at the beginning of the semester compared to the end. Participation in these activities coincides with class attendance and the completion of continuous assessment activities. Students responded to a survey to determine their level of interest and satisfaction with these active methods. The results showed that 91 % of the students would recommend the use of these activities. In addition, the design and development of the activities surprised most of the students.

A remarkable result of this project is that the teacher's dedication to designing and preparing these virtual activities is significantly higher when compared to the students' autonomous problem-solving through traditional problem sets.

The project thus offers a valuable model for improving motivation and active learning in problem-solving subjects, though it highlights the significant commitment and dedication required from the teacher.

Keywords: Active methodologies, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Escape Room, Problem-solving videos.