History Puzzles on Social Media: Strategies for Sustaining Engagement

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory case study examining the use of puzzles facilitated through social media (specifically, WhatsApp) in a postgraduate course on French History at Goa University. The first iteration in 2017 served as a pilot to gauge student readiness and refine the puzzle activities. Across all subsequent iterations, high levels of student engagement were observed on the WhatsApp forum, attributed to effective forum moderation by the instructor. This research specifically focuses on two course iterations, labelled Run A (2019) and Run B (2023), within a larger longitudinal study. Run A occurred before the global shift towards online learning prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, while Run B took place in a post-pandemic context where students and educators might be more accustomed to online and blended learning environments. This temporal difference provides a unique opportunity to study the impact of broader educational trends on the effectiveness of puzzle pedagogy via a social media channel. The study employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on data from student interviews, teacher observation notes, and analysis of social media chat interactions. The study explores different styles of puzzle pedagogy implemented across the two runs, highlighting the effectiveness of these methods in maintaining high levels of student engagement over the course of the activities. While elements of gamification, such as informal recognition and challenges, were present, the primary focus remained on the puzzles themselves as a means of deepening students' understanding and interest in history.