Virtual museums in the teaching and learning of history in the third year of high school

Abstract

Learning History is essential to understand the past, analyze the present and project the future, fostering critical skills, empathy and a collective identity. However, its teaching faces challenges such as superficial memorization, disconnection with daily life and the perception of the subject as boring. To overcome these limitations, this research proposes the use of virtual museums as an innovative teaching strategy for thirdyear high school students of the “Atahualpa” Bilingual Intercultural Community Educational Unit in Chauzan Totorillas, Guamote canton, Chimborazo. The study adopted a mixed approach. In the qualitative aspect, documentary analysis and narrative-phenomenological design were applied to understand the experiences of teachers. In the quantitative aspect, structured questionnaires were used to measure student perception, which allowed the implementation of the strategy in the selected group, evaluating its educational impact. The research selected virtual museums from Mexico, Peru and Spain, focused on the Mayan, Aztec and Incan cultures, aligned with the contents of the national curriculum. These resources offered interactive and multimedia experiences that energized the teaching and learning of History. The showed that virtual museums increased student motivation, improved historical understanding, and transformed the perception of the subject from boring to dynamic, interesting, and participatory results. The technological barriers inherent to rural areas, such as the institution under investigation, were overcome, which guaranteed their use and application. In conclusion, the teaching strategy used contributed to the development of relevant, functional, and longlasting learning thanks to the innovative teaching offered by virtual museums, consolidating their effectiveness in diverse educational contexts.