Contributions of technology to cooperative work for university innovation with Design Thinking

Abstract

This article focuses on testing the contributions of the Slack technology to university teachers' cooperative work immersed in educational innovation processes with Design Thinking methodology. Another aim was to verify students' accomplishment with this methodology. Eleven teachers from three academic disciplines at the University of Seville took part in the experience. They answered an online questionnaire about the use of Slack. Also, 752 undergraduate and master's degree students participated, answering an ad hoc questionnaire to find out their satisfaction with this learning process. 427 responses were obtained, with a sampling error of ±3%. The research used a mixed method, with a descriptive and correlational approach. Firstly, a content analysis of the teachers' responses was carried out in order to design a category system. Subsequently, a thematic analysis was performed in order to interpret their interventions in the Slack tool. Lastly, descriptive and correlational analyses of the students' answers, as well as an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), were carried out. One of our conclusions was that Slack is an innovative technology that enhances students' cooperative work. Another conclusion was the strong positive relationship between students'satisfaction with Design Thinking and their satisfaction with teamwork. © 2020 Universidad de Sevilla. All rights reserved.