Multimodal Identity Artefacts 2.0 as a Mechanism to Promote Personalization of Learning in Higher Education. A Qualitative Study

The field of education, in general, and higher education, in particular, has been strongly affected by the digital transformations that have had an impact on the life-long, life-wide, and life-deep learning processes that take place throughout our lives. A challenge associated with these transformations is the linking of learning experiences, connecting the needs, motivations and interests of learners with educational opportunities to promote learning with greater meaning and personal value. The objective of this work was to design, implement and evaluate a digitally mediated educational practice in higher education based on the pedagogical usage of identity artefacts made by the learners themselves. The design of the pedagogical practice comprises four phases: elaboration of identity artefacts; personal-academic linking; fieldwork and development of an artefact (video) posted on a YouTube channel, as well as self-assessment of what was learnt. 64 university students, aged between 20 and 32 (M = 21.5) participated. The results obtained permit the illustration and analysis of the identity artefacts produced, their relationship with the chosen topics, as well as what was learnt according to the perception of the students and the teaching team by means of an evaluation rubric. It concludes by highlighting the evidence of this educational practice in the promotion of academic, personal and procedural learning. These factors are discussed using the existing literature on the educational uses of identity artefacts as starting point and subsequently suggesting some future lines of research.