Interactive Learning: Online Audience Response System and Multiple Choice Questions Improve Student Participation in Lectures

Background and Objective Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are commonly used in medical education for formative and summative assessment. However, the use of MCQs as a pedagogical tool in lectures is an area that is yet to be fully explored. This study aimed to gather feedback on including MCQs in lectures using an Online Audience Response System (OARS). Methods This quasi-experimental study involved 114 first professional MBBS students. A lecture with strategically integrated MCQs was delivered in a traditional classroom setting. Students answered the ten MCQs and provided feedback via OARS using their mobile phones. The feedback included eleven questions about student engagement, attentiveness, and critical thinking skills. Students' perception of the advantages and limitations of OARS in lectures was also collected. Data are presented as percentages and median with an interquartile range. Results Higher levels of engagement were reported by 80% of students; 81% felt improvement in understanding of the learning objectives and lecture content; 5% felt that mobile phone usage caused distractions; 79% reported increased focus and concentration; 84% reported that MCQs promoted their critical thinking skills; 75% reported enhanced overall learning experience without causing any discomfort; 69% believed that asking questions individually by the instructor is less effective than MCQs with OARS; 83% felt motivated to come prepared with study material when MCQs were included in the lecture; 67% preferred an even distribution of MCQs throughout the lecture; 53% preferred six to ten MCQs per lecture. Conclusion This study suggests that integrating MCQs in lectures using OARS can be a valuable pedagogical strategy in medical education and can potentially improve the learning experience by enhancing student engagement, attentiveness, and critical thinking skills. However, educators should also be aware of the potential limitations and take steps to mitigate them.

Japanese health and safety information for overseas visitors: a randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

International travel to Japan increased steadily until the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Although international travel was curtailed worldwide due to the pandemic, the number of overseas visitors to Japan should increase again after the restrictions are lifted. We assessed the effect of a five-minute digital game on the knowledge of health information and the level of satisfaction with educational health resources of overseas visitors to Japan.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized controlled trial among 1062 previous and potential visitors to Japan utilizing an internet portal. We recruited previous and potential visitors to Japan from the internet portal sites of the UK, the US and Australia. We randomly allocated participants to two groups: an intervention group that played an animated game and a control group that viewed an online animation. All participants answered a self-administered questionnaire online from March 16 to 19, 2021. We assessed visitors' levels of health knowledge and satisfaction using the CSQ-8. We analyzed the data with a t test and the difference in differences test. Our RCT followed the SPIRIT guidelines.

RESULTS

Of the 1062 previous and potential visitors recruited via the three countries' internet portals (354 from each country), some had visited Japan previously (174 in the intervention group, 220 in the control group), while some were potential visitors to Japan (357 in the intervention group, 311 in the control group). Some had gathered health and safety information about Japan prior to this study (180 in the intervention group, 211 in the control group). Both groups improved their health information levels after the intervention. The level of satisfaction with health information in Japan was significantly increased in the intervention group (average difference of 4.5 points) compared to that in the control group (average difference of 3.9 points) (p < 0.05). Both groups' mean CSQ-8 scores increased significantly after the intervention (p < 0.001): from 23 to 28 in the intervention group and from 23 to 24 in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study introduced unique educational strategies using an online game to provide health and safety information to previous and potential visitors to Japan. The online game was a more effective way to increase satisfaction than the online animation about health information. This study was registered in the UMIN-CTR (University Hospital Medical Information Network Center Clinical Trials Registry) as Version 1, and the trial registration data are available as UMIN000042483, 17/11/2020.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Trials UMIN-CTR (University Hospital Medical Information Network Center Clinical Trials Registry), UMIN000042483 (Japanese health and safety information for overseas visitors: A randomized controlled trial), 17/11/2020.

Study Based on Gamification of Tests through Kahoot!™ and Reward Game Cards as an Innovative Tool in Physiotherapy Students: A Preliminary Study

BACKGROUND

Kahoot! is an educational tool allowing teachers to create a series of gamified tests with the aim of reinforcing educational content, thus improving the teaching-learning process. The objective of this project is to evaluate the acquisition of content through gamified tests with Kahoot! and reward cards compared to the traditional teaching methodology (contents not reinforced).

METHODS

This Physiotherapy Teaching Innovation Project (PTIP) was carried out in four subjects of the Degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Jaén (Spain). The teachers responsible for each subject were instructed in the use of Kahoot! and reward cards. These teachers randomly selected the contents that were going to be reinforced with Kahoot! while the other 50% of the contents would not be reinforced. In the final exam of each subject, the results related to the reinforced contents were compared with those non-reinforced and the degree of satisfaction of the students with the experience was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 313 students participated in this PTIP. In all subjects, we determined a significant increase in the number of correct answers in an improvement range from 7% (95% CI 3.85 to 9.38) to more than 20% (95% CI 17.61 to 26.86) in favor of the questions that alluded to reinforced content using Kahoot! compared to the non-reinforced contents. More than 90% of the participants considered the use of Kahoot! useful and motivating. Our findings showed that Kahoot! motivated more than 65% of students to study daily.

CONCLUSIONS

The students obtained better academic results in the questions related to contents reinforced with tests through Kahoot! and reward cards compared to those non-reinforced, showing that this methodology can be an effective tool to promote retention and content assimilation.

A scoping review of gamification for mental health in children: Uncovering its key features and impact

Mental health conditions in children and adolescents have wide-ranging effects, limiting opportunities for future productive lives. While there has been an upsurge of interest in using games for learning, gamification to optimize health outcomes is worth reviewing when this approach to address mental health conditions is in its infancy. A literature search was conducted with two hundred and fifteen articles involving participants up to 19 years of age with diagnosable mental health conditions, involving the concept of game design elements to motivate health in the context of comparing gamification and non-gamification approaches were retrieved after employing Boolean operators and pre-determined search strategies. Literature of participants with addiction to alcohol or substance use and organic brain issues were excluded as their mental health recovery differed regardless of gamification impact. Findings, extracted from 8 included articles following rigorous screening and critical appraisal, showed that gamification to relieve mental health symptoms were conducted via mobile devices or computers. Key features of the games involved applications or video where players with mental health conditions took on roles in a virtual world with narratives. Real-life knowledge and skills to manage the symptoms of mental health conditions were learned in the process as players leveled up in the game. Only one study utilized gamification platforms that could detect breathing changes but it was shown to be only helpful towards relief of anxiety symptoms. Nevertheless, the potential for gamification for mental health outcomes remains promising.

Effects of board game play on nursing students’ medication knowledge: A randomized controlled trial

AIM

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an educational board game in improving nursing students' medication knowledge.

BACKGROUND

Maintaining patient safety is a core practice for nurses. Medication management is a central principle of patient safety. Nurses acquire pharmacology knowledge and medication safety skills in the classroom training. Thus, solidifying and strengthening nursing students' medication knowledge are crucial tasks for nursing faculty members. In recent years, board games, which offer both entertainment and competitive play, have been employed to educate students in a variety of disciplines and settings. Through board game play, students can learn in an enjoyable and fun atmosphere.

DESIGN

A randomized controlled trial design.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 69 nursing students was obtained from a university in Taiwan. Participants were randomly assigned either to an experimental (board game) group (n = 35) or a comparison group (n = 34) using block randomization. The experimental group engaged in board game play to learn about medications, whereas the comparison group attended a one-hour didactic lecture. Using questionnaires, data were collected before the intervention, immediately post intervention and one month post intervention.

RESULTS

Following the intervention, regardless of the learning method, both groups showed significant improvements in their immediate recall of medication information. However, when retested after one month, the experimental group obtained significantly higher scores than the comparison group. Moreover, students in the experimental group reported more satisfaction with the learning method than those in the comparison group.

CONCLUSIONS

The study results suggest that learning through board games could enhance nursing students' retention of knowledge. Students reported favorable reactions to using a board game learning method for increasing knowledge of medication. With respect to this finding, faculty members may consider employing board games as teaching tools in nursing and other health science courses. Moreover, the findings of this study can also provide additional information for nursing managers in hospital wards or long-term care facilities where nurses are trained to familiarize themselves with frequently administered medications.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Board game play can enhance nursing students' retention of knowledge; students reported positive reactions to game-based learning for medication training.

Game-based learning in undergraduate nursing education: A systematic review of mixed-method studies

AIM

To investigate game-based learning in nursing education and summarize findings of its impact on nursing students' learning outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Nurses are the first point of contact for care and make up the largest proportion of the global health workforce. To respond effectively to the care needs of the population, nurses need to be adequately trained during their professional education. Game-based learning is increasingly becoming a strategy to complement simulation strategies in nursing education.

DESIGN

A systematic review of mixed-methods studies.

METHODS

A search was conducted in the electronic databases Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies on nurse education published in English between 2000 and 2020 were considered. The Mixed Methods Assessment Tool was used for quality assessment. Data abstraction and synthesis was performed using a data extraction form.

RESULTS

A total of 46 studies from the 15 countries were included. The included studies were eight quantitative randomized controlled trials, 12 quantitative non-randomized controlled trials, 15 quantitative descriptive, five qualitative and six mixed methods studies. The results showed that game-based learning was used for many different courses or content in nursing education. Simulation games were the most used game type. Game-based learning facilitated the achievement of learning outcomes primarily in the cognitive domain. Some gamification elements and design-related aspects of game-based environments were evaluated as positive and negative. Game-based learning is a useful approach to assessing learning outcomes in only three studies.

CONCLUSION

Game-based learning is a useful method to achieve learning outcomes mainly in the cognitive domain, with some positive and negative aspects. Further research should investigate the effects of games on affective and behavioral learning outcomes, as well as the use of games to assess learning outcomes. Potential limitations of this review are that some studies could not be identified because of access issues and that some studies included participants other than nursing students.

Learning experiences of game-based educational intervention in nursing students: A systematic mixed-studies review

BACKGROUND

To meet the evolving needs of today's nursing students and the demand for 21st century skills in modern healthcare, game-based learning has received increasing attention. It can improve learning outcomes, while enhancing learning experiences by promoting engagement and motivation.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the learning experiences of using game-based education in nursing students.

DATA SOURCES

Electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and Scopus were searched from inception till January 2021.

REVIEW METHODS

Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies were included, involving the use of games for education among nursing students. Both published and unpublished studies in English language without restrictions to the year of publication. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the mixed methods appraisal tool. Data synthesis used a convergent synthesis approach. Narrative synthesis was used for quantitative findings and thematic synthesis for qualitative findings. A result-based convergent synthesis was adopted to integrate both results.

RESULTS

A total of 53 studies were included among 4612 nursing students across 16 countries. These included 32 quantitative studies, 7 qualitative studies, and 14 mixed-methods studies, with methodological quality ranging from low to high. The findings from this review demonstrate that game-based education interventions can enhance nursing students' learning experiences. Three themes emerged from both quantitative and qualitative syntheses: 1) motivators of learning, 2) facilitators of engagement, and 3) affective response.

CONCLUSIONS

Game-based education is promising in promoting positive learning experiences among nursing students. This can better inform educators and healthcare leaders when considering gaming as an alternative education approach in motivating and engaging students in learning. Future research should provide greater focus on examining the use of specific games under similar contexts.

A Review of the Quiz, as a New Dimension in Medical Education

Over the years, medical education delivery has seen a change from teacher-centric to student-centric teaching-learning methods. Educators are constantly looking to develop interactive and innovative teaching-learning tools. One such supplementary tool is the use of the quiz for medical education. The Quiz has been used traditionally as a feedback assessment tool, but lately, it has found its way into the medical curriculum, mostly informally. The few available documented studies on the Quiz as a teaching and learning tool illustrate its acceptance and impact on the stakeholders. It could be one of the solutions to the endless search for a student-centric and engaging tool to deliver the medical curriculum. Commonly, the format for medical quiz is either on a case-based or image-based approach. Such an approach helps bridge the gap between traditional classroom teaching and clinical application. The Quiz is a readily acceptable tool that complements didactic lectures and improves students' learning and comprehension. Being an interactive student-centric tool, it enhances active student participation and encourages regular feedback mechanisms. It promotes healthy competition and peer-assisted learning by encouraging active discussion among students, hence improving student performance in standard examination techniques, along with teacher satisfaction. This literature review aims to enumerate the various formats of the Quiz, their role in improving the understanding and retention of knowledge among the students and assess their acceptability among the stakeholders.

Effectiveness of the serious game for learning in nursing: systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To identify the effectiveness of the serious game in improving learning outcomes compared to the different teaching strategies used in the education of nursing students.

METHOD

Systematic review, conducted from July 2019 to May 2020, at PubMed®, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science and LILACS. Studies of experimental and quasi-experimental design were included, with no delimitation of time frame, aimed at nursing students, who approached the use of the serious game as the main teaching strategy compared with other pedagogical methods.

RESULTS

Six articles were included, which compared the serious game with traditional and active teaching and learning strategies (expository class, text reading and simulation). The studies were considered of moderate quality, with an average score of 12.83. Nursing students submitted to the serious game showed better learning results.

CONCLUSION

The serious game proved to be more effective for learning in nursing when compared to other teaching strategies.

Japanese health and safety information for overseas visitors: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in January 2020, the number of overseas visitors to Japan had increased threefold over the last decade. To minimize the risk of health problems, visitors should be able to access information on the health care systems of the places they visit. Most short-term overseas visitors are young adults. Although they are not very likely to get sick from noncommunicable diseases, they are at high risk for injury and often experience stomach ailments, fever, or nausea when travelling. The objective of this study is to evaluate culturally and linguistically appropriate health information on preventive health behaviours and the health care system in Japan. We will examine the level of satisfaction of overseas visitors to Japan with health care-related educational materials using a five-minute digital game named Sa-Chan Japan.

METHODS

Our study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). We will assess both satisfaction and motivation before, during, and after the interventions and examine the changes over time. The intervention group will comprise overseas visitors who will view and answer questions in an animation named Sa-Chan Japan. The control group will comprise overseas visitors who will watch an English digital animation named Mari Info Japan. We will recruit 1002 participants through the Macromill Internet portal. We will contact overseas visitors who have either visited or wish to visit Japan from the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. The participants will fill out a self-administered questionnaire online in the first quarter of 2021. We will determine the participants' levels of satisfaction with the CSQ-8 (8-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire). We will analyse the median score of the overseas visitors with both the Wilcoxon rank-sum and the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Our protocol of randomized controlled trials follows the SPIRIT guidelines.

DISCUSSION

Our research will utilize unique digital education strategies in a game that promotes health and safety among overseas visitors to Japan. We believe the results of this study will be useful in overcoming the current challenges regarding pretravel health requirements for overseas visitors worldwide.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Version 1 of this trial was registered in the UMIN-CTR (University Hospital Medical Information Network Center Clinical Trials Registry), and the trial registration data are available on UMIN000042483 , November 17, 2020.

A scoping review of randomised controlled trials to assess the value of gamification in the higher education of health science students

INTRODUCTION

In today's ever-changing technological landscape, novel pedagogical methods are very attractive for medical radiation educators trying to enhance their students' educational experience. This scoping review aimed to assess the evidence regarding the value of gamification as part of health science undergraduate education, in comparison to conventional teaching curriculum.

METHODS

A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMC are and Cochrane databases. Articles were eligible if they were randomised controlled trials comparing the use of gamification for undergraduate health profession students, with conventional teaching methods. Outcomes included knowledge (ie., information acquisition), skills (ie., knowledge application) and perceived benefit. Screening, data extraction and critical appraisal was conducted by two reviewers independently.

RESULTS

Eleven RCT studies were included (n = 997). Three of eight reporting studies discovered significant findings for knowledge acquisition scores favouring the intervention group. Varying results were demonstrated in the skills domain across six studies. Perceived benefits including student motivation and satisfaction levels demonstrated positive findings in all but one of six reporting studies.

DISCUSSION

Educators should supplement methods with gamified learning rather than replace them, consider group-based gamification, and employ methods at irregular intervals.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this review suggest that gamification may be advantageous for health science undergraduates. Gamification positively impacts student satisfaction and motivation, though its capacity to enhance students' knowledge acquisition and application necessitates further research.

Effects of a geriatric education program for emergency physicians: a mixed-methods study

Emergency physicians (EPs) often regard care for older adults as complex, while they lack sufficient geriatric skills. This study evaluates the effect of a geriatric education program on EPs' geriatric knowledge, attitude and medical practice when treating older adults. A mixed-methods study was performed on EPs from two Dutch hospitals. Effects were measured by pre-post tests of EPs' (n = 21) knowledge of geriatric syndromes and attitudes toward older adults, and by a retrospective pre-post analysis of 100 records of patients aged 70 years or more. Six EPs were purposively sampled and interviewed after completion of the education program. The program significantly improved EPs' geriatric knowledge. EPs indicated that the program improved their ability and attentiveness to recognize frailty and geriatric syndromes. The program also significantly improved EPs' attention for the older patient's social history and circumstances (P = 0.04) but did not have a significant effect on medical decision making. EPs valued especially the case-based teaching and indicated that the interactive setting helped them to better understand and retain knowledge. Combined quantitative and qualitative data suggest that EPs benefit from geriatric emergency teaching. Future enhancement and evaluation of the geriatric education program is needed to confirm benefits to clinical practice and patient outcomes.

A comparison of inquiry-oriented teaching and lecture-based approach in nursing ethics education

BACKGROUND

With developing nursing ethics education, the traditional methods of teaching could not meet the learning needs of undergraduates. Improving ethical decision-making to undergraduates is necessary toward promoting nursing ethics.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of study is to compare the effect of inquiry-oriented teaching and lecture-based approach on nursing ethics education for undergraduates.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental study was conducted for undergraduate nursing students.

SETTINGS

Two nursing schools participated in the study in mainland China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 97 undergraduate nursing students participated in the study.

METHODS

The study adopted a quasi-experimental design.

RESULTS

The inquiry-oriented teaching group was significantly higher on average scoring than the lecture-based group after intervention in 2 aspects including: professional relationship (P = 0.015) and ethical decision making (P = 0.021). Contrarily, this study also showed that in the lecture-based group the score of foundational theories of nursing ethics was higher than Inquiry-oriented group (P = 0.038). A statistically significant difference was not found between the two groups in 3 scenarios: ethics related to nursing practice, ethics related to nursing research and necessity of learning nursing ethics.

CONCLUSION

Combination of inquiry-oriented teaching and lecture-based approach is suggested as part of design for curriculum of nursing ethics education.

Developing Cognitive Skills Through Active Learning: A Systematic Review of Health Care Professions

Objective

To systematically review current literature to determine whether active learning is more successful than passive learning at producing cognitive skills in health care professions students.

Data Sources

An electronic search was conducted in 4 databases: EBSCO-CINAHL, EBSCO-Sport Discus, Educational Resources Information Center, and PubMed. Search terms included: millennial AND health education, active learning AND knowledge retention, flipped classroom AND learning outcomes, problem based learning AND learning outcomes, problem based learning AND student confidence, active learning AND critical thinking, higher order thinking AND active learning.

Study Selection

We included studies if they were published in English between 2007 and 2017 and evaluated outcomes of an active learning intervention. Studies of nonhealth care disciplines, practicing health care practitioners, or studies that did not address the primary research questions were excluded.

Data Extraction

Study design, health care discipline, intervention used, assessment measures, outcome(s) measures, main results, and conclusions were extracted from each article, as appropriate.

Data Synthesis

Articles were categorized based on capacity to answer 1 or both of the research questions. Conclusions were summarized according to the learning technique used and its effectiveness in regard to studied learning outcome. Out of 85 studies on lower-order cognition, 61 (72%) indicated active learning techniques were effective at achieving improved recall, understanding, and/or application of course material. Of 69 studies on higher-order cognition, 58 (84%) supported active learning over passive instruction for improving students' confidence in or performance of analytical, evaluative, and creative skills.

Conclusions

Active learning produces gains to both lower- and higher-order cognition at levels equal to, and more often, greater than the use of passive learning methods. Despite this evidence, we believe more high-quality, well-designed prospective studies using validated assessment measures are needed to endorse the value of these methods in producing cognitive skills.

Toolbox of teaching strategies

A teaching strategy is a method, which can help students to gain knowledge, deliver information, and improve their learning. Different learning environments, such as clinical teaching, online teaching, and face-to-face traditional learning environments, require different teaching strategies for students. Choosing teaching strategies for a course is very important for nurse educators because various factors should be taken into account to make students meet the learning outcomes. The use of modern technologies in teaching strategies can improve students’ competencies and confidences. The purpose of this article is to create a toolbox integrating ten teaching strategies that can be used in different teaching environments.

Estratégias lúdicas utilizadas em enfermagem — Uma revisão integrativa

Objetivo: identificar y analizar el conocimiento producido en la literatura científica sobre la utilización de juegos en la formación en enfermería.Síntesis de contenido:se trata de una revisión de la literatura realizada en el motor de búsqueda Scopus®, usando descriptores específicos en portugués e inglés, y publicados entre el 2010 y el 2016. De los 58 artículos, se seleccionaron 10, lo que ha permitido identificar diferencias y convergencias, posibilitando la agrupación por cuatro áreas temáticas: tipología de juego, áreas temáticas del juego, ámbito de aplicación de los juegos y metodologías de evaluación de la estrategia.Conclusiones: los resultados evidencian la mayor utilización de esta estrategia en la formación para enfermeros, a nivel de pregrado. Se encuentran algunos vacíos en el marco de los mecanismos de evaluación de estas estrategias. Se sugiere la continuidad de estudios sobre el impacto de los juegos en el cuidado.

Interactive case-based learning improves resident knowledge and confidence in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Gynecol Endocrinol 2017;33:496-499. [PMID: 28277140 DOI: 10.1080/09513590.2017.1290075]

Resident physicians' scores on the REI section of the CREOG exam are traditionally low, and nearly 40% of house staff nation-wide perceive their REI knowledge to be poor. We aimed to assess whether an interactive case-based group-learning curriculum would narrow the REI knowledge gap by improving understanding and retention of core REI concepts under the time constraints affecting residents. A three-hour case-based workshop was developed to address four primary CREOG objectives. A multiple-choice test was administered immediately before and after the intervention and 7 weeks post-workshop, to evaluate both knowledge and confidence. Following the intervention, residents self-reported increased confidence with counseling and treatment of PCOS, ovulation induction cycle monitoring, counseling and treatment of POI, and breaking bad news related to infertility (p < 0.05). The multiple-choice exam was re-administered 7 weeks post-intervention, and scores remained significantly improved compared to pre-workshop scores (p < 0.05). At that time, all residents either strongly agreed (91.7%) or agreed (8.3%) that the case-based interactive format was preferable to traditional lecture-based teaching. In conclusion, a nontraditional curriculum aimed at teaching core REI concepts to residents through interactive case-based learning can be successfully integrated into a residency curriculum, and significantly improves knowledge and confidence of critical concepts in REI.

Epidemiology of Nonfatal Injuries Among Schoolchildren

Nonfatal injuries are considered as one of the major public health hazards affecting schoolchildren, and the majority of these injuries occur at school or in the home. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 3 months, March-May 2015. The participants were 4,355 Jordanian schoolchildren in Grades 7-12. The Pearson χ(2) test was computed, and the odds ratio was used to determine the magnitude of various risk factors for nonfatal injuries among schoolchildren. The overall incidence of nonfatal injury was 33.9%. The group most likely to sustain nonfatal injuries was boys, aged 12-15, in Grade 7, whose parents had a low level of education or a high family income. Injury prevention in schools and at homes is a cornerstone for protection or reducing the incidence of injuries. School nurses have a duty to follow up and examine the accident reports and evaluate whether safety policies are applied and are effective in different school settings. Furthermore, health and education authorities should develop a national program for preventing injuries.

Board game versus lecture-based seminar in the teaching of pharmacology of antimicrobial drugs--a randomized controlled trial

The effectiveness of an educational board game developed to teach the pharmacology of antimicrobial drugs to medical students was compared with the lecture-based seminar as a supplemental tool to improve short- and long-term knowledge retention and the perception of the learning method by students. A group of 124 students was randomized to board game and control groups. Short-term knowledge retention was assessed by comparing differences in post- and pre-tests scores, and long-term knowledge retention by comparing final examination scores. Both didactic methods seem to improve short-term knowledge retention to similar extent. Long-term knowledge retention of board game seminar participants was higher than those who attended the lecture-based seminar (ANCOVA, P = 0.035). The effect was most pronounced within 14 days after the intervention (ANOVA, P = 0.007). The board game was well perceived by the students. The board game seems to be a promising didactic tool, however, it should be further tested to assess its full educational utility.