Impact of educational games on academic outcomes of students in the Degree in Nursing

Nursing students' experiences with test-enhanced learning in teams: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Many nursing students struggle with the disciplines of biosciences, particularly Anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, which are introduced in the first year. Nursing students' motivation, prior knowledge, and academic performance matter, but teaching methods may also influence students' learning process. Retrieving knowledge through testing has previously proven to enhance learning to a greater extent than time spent on other classroom activities.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' experiences with test-enhanced learning as a way of enhancing learning in Anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry.

DESIGN

The lectures in each topic were followed by testing five days later. The tests were typically multiple-choice tests with short reply-times. The effect was measured in terms of students' self-reported level of satisfaction with test-enhanced learning, and their performance on the final exam in Anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. The tests were performed in teams to avoid stressful situations that could negatively affect the students' learning process.

RESULTS

A key achievement from introducing test-enhanced learning in the Anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry course was a perceived higher learning outcome and increased engagement and motivation among the students, resulting in resulting in more students achieving the highest grades (A and B). However, the students' academic results from upper secondary school also seemed to matter for their achievements on the final exam.

CONCLUSION

These results indicated that many students benefited from test-enhanced learning, suggesting that test-enhanced learning can be an important teaching strategy in nursing education, particularly for biosciences.

Using active learning strategies during a quality improvement collaborative: exploring educational games to enhance learning among healthcare professionals

BACKGROUND

The Breakthrough Series model uses learning sessions (LS) to promote education, professional development and quality improvement (QI) in healthcare. Staff divergences regarding prior knowledge, previous experience, preferences and motivations make selecting which pedagogic strategies to use in LS a challenge.

AIM

We aimed to assess new active-learning strategies: two educational games, a card game and an escape room-type game, for training in healthcare-associated infection prevention.

METHODS

This descriptive case study evaluated the performance of educational strategies during a Collaborative to reduce healthcare-associated infections in Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs). A post-intervention survey was voluntarily offered to all participants in LS activities.

RESULTS

Seven regional 2-day LS were held between October and December 2022 (six for adult ICUs and one for paediatric/neonatal ICUs). Of 194 institutions participating in a nationwide QI initiative, 193 (99.4%) participated in these activities, totalling 850 healthcare professionals. From these, 641 participants responded to the survey (75.4%). The post-intervention survey showed that the participants responded positively to the educational activities.

CONCLUSION

The participants perceived the various pedagogical strategies positively, which shows the value of a broad and diverse educational approach, customised to local settings and including game-based activities, to enhance learning among healthcare professionals.

Development of a Competency-Based Triage Education Application and Usability Testing for Triage Training Based on the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale

BACKGROUND

Improving the quality of emergency nursing care requires enhancing triage competency through education programs that integrate the content of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale, a triage system specifically developed for the Korean context. Thus, this study developed a competency-based triage education application (CTEA), based on the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale, and evaluated its effectiveness through usability testing.

METHOD

The CTEA used various teaching methods and game mechanisms, including lectures, case studies, and video-based scenarios, to improve triage competency.

RESULTS

In the usability testing phase, the CTEA was refined through expert heuristic evaluation and user interviews conducted with the think-aloud method. Six themes were derived from the interviews, highlighting the need for a well-structured program with realistic scenarios, easy accessibility, gamification, functional improvements, and future triage educational applications.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the CTEA is effective and satisfactory for users and can contribute to improving the triage competency of emergency nurses. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(1):33-41.].

The effectiveness of an Instagram-based educational game in a Bachelor of Nursing course: An experimental study

BACKGROUND

Gamification is a novel educational method that adopts elements of games to motivate students using participatory learning. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of participation in an Instagram-based educational game on learning outcomes.

METHOD

Experimental design with 291 university students in a first-year course of the Bachelor of Nursing during the 2020-21 academic year.

RESULTS

After ruling out pretest sensitization, we identified a positive effect of participation in the educational game. An average improvement of 0.62 points was observed in the final grade of the students belonging to the experimental groups.

CONCLUSION

Nursing undergraduate students participating an Instagram-based educational game had better learning outcomes than their counterparts who did not participate in the game.

Effectiveness of a nursing board games in psychiatric nursing course for undergraduate nursing students: An experimental design

AIM

To examine the effectiveness of a psychiatric nursing board game in an undergraduate psychiatric nursing course.

BACKGROUND

Didactic teaching fails to assist students in deepening their understanding of abstract concepts in psychiatric nursing. The game-based learning of professional courses can address the demands of digital-age students, which may improve their learning outcomes.

DESIGN

A parallel two-arm experimental design was adopted in a nursing college in southern Taiwan.

METHODS

The participants were fourth-year students enroled in a college nursing programme in southern Taiwan. Simple random sampling was used to divide the class into intervention and control groups. The former participated in an eight-week game-based intervention course, while the latter continued to receive traditional instruction. In addition to collecting the students' demographic data, three structural questionnaires were developed to examine the variation in students' nursing knowledge and attitudes toward psychiatric nursing, as well as their learning satisfaction before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

There were a total of 106 participants, with 53 in each group. After the intervention, the two groups were significantly different in terms of their psychiatric nursing knowledge, attitudes and self-reported learning satisfaction. The intervention group's scores were significantly higher than those of the control group across all three dimensions. This suggests the positive effects of the board game intervention on students' learning outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The research outcome can be applied in formative and undergraduate nursing education in teaching psychiatric nursing globally. The game-based learning materials developed can be used to train psychiatric nursing teachers. Future studies should recruit a larger sample and increase the follow-up time for assessing students' learning outcomes, as well as examine the similarities and differences in the learning outcomes of students from different educational systems.

The effect of reinforcement using the Gimkit game on learning the subject in nursing students

AIM

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of reinforcement using the Gimkit game and question-and-answer method on the achievement test scores of nursing students.

BACKGROUND

Advances in information and communication technology are one of the most important factors affecting change in health systems. The rapid pace of technological evolution has also significantly affected the nursing education curricula. As the nursing profession continues to change and grow, updating learning strategies in nursing education has become a necessity to prepare nursing students for today's health problems.

DESIGN

The study was conducted as a quasi-experimental model using the pretest-posttest control group model in non-randomized groups.

METHODS

The population of the research consisted of first-year students of the nursing faculty of a state university. The sample of the research consisted of first-year students of the nursing faculty who met the research criteria and accepted to participate in the research. The students participating in the research were divided into experimental and control groups using the simple random method. An achievement test, that is, a pre-test, was administered to both groups before the subject was presented. Afterwards, the same subject was presented to all groups by the same instructor during a 4-h training session. A reinforcement strategy using the Gimkit game was implemented with the students in the experimental group, while the traditional question-and-answer method was used as the reinforcement strategy in the control group. After the reinforcements, the achievement test, that is, the post-test, was administered to both groups again.

RESULTS

In the study, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the pre-tests of the experimental group where the Gimkit game was used and the control group where the question-answer method was used (p = 0.223). In addition, a statistically significant difference was found between the post-test scores of the experimental group where the Gimkit game was used and the control group where the question-and-answer method was used (p = 0.009).

CONCLUSION

In the study, it was determined that the use of the Gimkit game was more effective on learning the subject than the traditional question-and-answer method.

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.

Game-based learning in dental education

PURPOSE

The incorporation of interactive elements using technology increases student enjoyment and classroom learning effectiveness. This study investigated the usage of an online gamification platform in the dental school environment and compared game-based learning attitudes among students in different stages of their 4-year training program.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental medicine students in Years: 1 (Y1), 2 (Y2), 3 (Y3), and 4 (Y4) at a US-based dental school. The 11-item survey explored student perceptions on the effects of playing the Kahoots quiz game, using the 5-point Likert scale. Responses among male and female students were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test, with responses of students in different years of dental school analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.

RESULTS

Average student age was 25 (range 20-45 years) upon starting dental school. Of 206 study participants, n = 129 (63%) were males and n = 74 (36%) females, n = 70 (34.0%) were Y1; n = 52 (25.2%), Y2; n = 48 (23.3%), Y3; and n = 36 (17.5%), Y4. Males tried harder to answer game questions than females (p = 0.027). Compared to students in the upper 3 years, the Y1 students reported that they tried harder to win (p = 0.002), the games held (p = 0.002) and motivated them to pay attention (p < 0.001), helped them understand (p = 0.021) and to retain lecture concepts (p = 0.010), and aided in the preparation for exams (p = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

Dental students in all stages of their 4-year training programs, especially Y1 students, reported positive perceptions of gamified learning and believed that it was helpful in identifying difficult concepts and motivating them to study.

Gamification on Instagram: Nursing students' degree of satisfaction with and perception of learning in an educational game

BACKGROUND

Gamification has been shown to lead to greater motivation and participation among students. Currently, many teachers use social networks to share supplementary course materials and student work, but they have not incorporated gamified educational activities into social networking sites.

OBJECTIVE

To determine nursing students' satisfaction with an Instagram-based educational game and their perceptions of its effects on their learning.

DESIGN

We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study.

PARTICIPANTS

First-year nursing students in the subject "Dietetics and Nutrition".

RESULTS

Of the total sample, 71.7 % agreed that gamification had helped them assimilate the content. Between 66 % and 70 % agreed that the experience had motivated them to keep up with the subject and learn more about the topic, that it had helped them to better understand certain concepts of the subject, that they would recommend the experience to other students, and that they enjoyed the experience of playing a game while learning. 71.7 % of them were in favour of increased use of gamification in other subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of an Instagram-based educational game as a complement to in-class teaching was useful, enjoyable, and motivating for the acquisition of new knowledge.

The use and impact of game-based learning on the learning experience and knowledge retention of nursing undergraduate students: A systematic literature review

BACKGROUND

Active engagement of nursing students has deteriorated overtime, especially during the global pandemic. Therefore, there has been a widespread search for learning methods that incorporate digital technologies and active student participation in recent years. Game-based learning may be an option, as it uses game-design elements to enhance academic performance and learning. Its use in nursing education is, however, limited.

OBJECTIVES

The literature review aimed to explore student experience and learning when using game-based learning and to understand its uses in the nursing curriculum.

DESIGN

Systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

ESBCO Discovery Service was used to search healthcare, science and education-related databases.

REVIEW METHODS

A comprehensive search of English language primary research published between 2017 and 2022 on the use of game-based learning in nursing undergraduate education was conducted. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Seventeen papers from 4 different countries were included. The studies explored interventions and subjects of increased teaching complexity that required increased levels of knowledge retention and critical thinking, such as nursing theory and complex clinical skills. Three themes emerged from the literature, including: approaches to game-based learning; student experience and engagement; impact of game-based learning on student learning and knowledge retention. Studies used a wide range of learning methods, such as quizzes, escape rooms and serious games. These methods were in general well-accepted by students, who endorsed its widespread use in the nursing curriculum. Most studies reported an increase in student experience and learning when using game-based learning, although time-limited games can often increase anxiety on students.

CONCLUSIONS

Game-based learning is an important alternative to traditional teaching methods. However, the recurrent use of game elements and its limited long-term effects may pose a limitation to its widespread use in nursing undergraduate education.

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 gameful blended-learning experience in nursing: A qualitative focus group study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges around the world, affecting over 1.5 billion students in 191 countries. This situation has forced faculties and health-related degrees in particular to be innovative, flexible, and agile when transitioning to online or blended learning.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' experiences and perceptions of the use of game elements in two full-nursing subjects using a blended-learning teaching strategy.

DESIGN

A qualitative study was conducted through sixteen focus group interviews between November 2020 and January 2021.

SETTING

This study took place at the Jaume I University with students enrolled in Adult and Elderly Health Programmes and Chronic Processes in their second and third year, respectively.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred forty-nine second- and third-year undergraduate nursing students took part in the focus group interviews.

METHODS

A blended-learning teaching approach with game elements was developed for two full-undergraduate nursing subjects. Focus groups using a semi-structured interview protocol were conducted after delivering the teaching content. A content analysis was used to analyse the focus group interview data.

RESULTS

The qualitative analysis revealed four major themes: (i) teaching transition in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, (ii) game elements to retain student attention and learning, (iii) gameful designs for competency-based team training, and (iv) blended learning vs face-to-face learning including gamification.

CONCLUSIONS

This study yields, for the first time, findings about the use of game elements in blended learning. This strategy was shown to be useful for teaching other key clinical or teamwork-related skills such as creativity, innovation, team-based communication, and responsibility, in addition to supporting the use of this innovative teaching strategy to reduce online fatigue and stress and increase student engagement in online classes.

When online learning becomes compulsory: Student nurses' adoption of information communication technology in a private nursing education institution

BACKGROUND

Integrating the use of information communication technology (ICT) in nursing curricula when preparing student nurses for the digital health future such as the sudden online learning as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is vital. However, when student nurses in a South African private nursing education institution, struggled to complete obligatory online learning courses, nurse educators had to search for solutions.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the barriers and enablers for ICT adoption by a diverse group of student nurses in a private nursing education institution in the Free State Province.

METHOD

Following a qualitative, explorative, interpretive-descriptive design, student nurses were invited to participate. Based on all-inclusive, purposive sampling with inclusion criteria enabled selecting, a total of 17 participants who took part in three focus groups and written narratives. Transcribed interviews underwent thematic analysis with co-coder consensus. The study adhered to strategies to enhance trustworthiness.

RESULTS

Students shared their views related to ICT and online learning within their theory and practice training. Student nurses held positive, negative and contrasting views of ICT adoption and online learning. Actions to master ICT adoption and online learning are highlighted. Information communication technology brings a challenging interdependence between nurses and technology.

CONCLUSION

Integration of ICT into nursing programmes is important. The enablers and barriers to ICT are described. Expose students to different technologies, especially using smart phones to search for (academic/non-academic) information. The adoption of ICT should enhance the learning process and facilitate deep learning. Students preferred online learning for self-assessment and described how they tried to master ICT and online learning. Information communication technologies in the clinical setting highlight the challenged interdependence between nurses and technology. Context-specific recommendations are proposed.

Board Game Violetas: the perspective of professionals addressing violence against women

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the potentialities and limits of the board game Violetas to address violence against women, from the perspective of the professionals who work in assisting the victims.

METHOD

This is an interventional study with a qualitative approach. Thirty professionals from the Casas da Mulher Brasileira (Brazilian Women's Houses) in Brasília, Campo Grande and Curitiba participated. Data collection was carried out during Critical-Emancipatory Workshops. Data were subjected to thematic content analysis with the support of the software webQDA.

RESULTS

As potentialities, the professionals mentioned the game design, the collaborative participation, and the ludicity as learning facilitators, stimulating reflections on the visibility of violence, assistance to victimized women, and the articulation of the supportive network services. As limitations of the study, the lack of familiarity with games, the understanding of the rules, and some issues contained in the game were mentioned.

CONCLUSION

The game proved to be a powerful educational strategy for the training and qualification of the professionals involved in the supportive network.

Game-Based Learning and Nursing Students' Clinical Judgment in Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Nurse educators are searching for ways to deliver and evaluate the clinical judgment model (CJM) into undergraduate education to adequately prepare students for the Next Generation NCLEX project.

METHOD

A game-based learning (GBL) activity, including seven postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) stations, was developed and implemented in an undergraduate nursing course. Following the design of the Minute to Win It^® game show, teams of students participated in timed challenges to facilitate engagement with the CJM.

RESULTS

Student scores improved significantly for every aspect of the CJM applied to PPH (recognition, analysis, action, evaluation) from the pre- to posttest after using the PPH Minute to Win It. The teaching-learning strategy was positively received by students for the purposes of enhancing engagement and retaining knowledge.

CONCLUSION

GBL is effective for incorporating the CJM into the classroom and enhances exposure, knowledge, and retention for specific topics such as PPH. Students associate GBL with increased engagement and learning related to complex course content. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(3):159-164.].

Comparison of the effect of reinforcement with question-answer and kahoot method on the success and motivation levels of nursing students: A quasi-experimental review

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to compare the effect of question-answer and Kahoot method reinforcement on nursing students' success and motivation levels.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This quasi-experiment study was carried out with 65 students studying at the nursing department at a state university in Turkey. The research data were obtained between November 2019 and February 2020. The study sample was divided into two groups as question-answer and Kahoot. In the first stage of the research, 8 h of training were given to all 65 students on the subject "Infection Control and Precautions," applying the method of teaching by presentation. Shortly after the training, the Kahoot group was reinforced on the Kahoot platform and the Question-answer group in PowerPoint, using the same questions for 30 min. In the second stage of the study, one day after the training, "Student Information Form" and "Instructional Materials Motivation Scale" were filled out, and "Achievement Test 1" was implemented. In the third stage, "Achievement Test 2" was executed two months after the training to test longer term knowledge retention.

RESULTS

The Kahoot group students had a score of 66.63 ± 11.02 in the "Achievement Test 1" and 67.76 ± 15.62 in the question-answer group. It was determined that the total score average of the students in the Kahoot group "Achievement Test 2" was 51.25 ± 13.42, and the students in the question-answer group were 47.03 ± 12.61. Accordingly, there was no statistically significant difference between the "Achievement Test 1" and "Achievement Test 2" mean scores of the students in the question-answer and Kahoot group (p > 0.05). The total score average of the question-answer group for "Instructional Materials Motivation Scale" was 127.88 ± 13.64, while the Kahoot group was 126.28 ± 16.88. It was determined that there was no statistically significant relationship between the "Achievement Test 1", "Achievement Test 2" and the "Instructional Materials Motivation Scale" total score and sub-dimensions of the students in the Question-Answer group and Kahoot group (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In the study analyzing the effect of reinforcement by the question-answer or Kahoot method on nursing students' success and motivation levels, it was concluded that no method was superior.

Validation of a questionnaire on the use of Interactive Response System in Higher Education

OBJETIVO

this study aims to design and validate a questionnaire to measure the students' perception of the use of IRS as a technopedagogical resource in the classroom.

METHOD

a 24 items questionnaire (Interactive Response System for the Improvement of the Teaching-Learning Process) was designed ad hoc for this research and applied to 142 university students.

RESULTS

both the exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis yielded 3 dimensions: classroom environment, teaching-learning processes and learning assessment. The results obtained both in reliability (Cronbach's alpha= 0.955) and in the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (χ2/df=1.944, CFI=0.97; GFI=0.78; RMR=0.077; RMSEA=0.08) reveal highly satisfactory indices.

CONCLUSION

statistical analyses confirm that this instrument is a valid, reliable, and easy-to-apply tool for professors to evaluate the student perception of student-centred learning.

Evolution of nursing teaching in the use of education technology: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To identify and map the technological tools of information and communication to support the teaching learning process in Nursing teaching courses.

METHODS

This is a scoping review whose search was carried out in seven databases and in grey literature. After an initial analysis of the selection, 88 texts were read integrally, and 29 made up the final sample.

RESULTS

Virtual learning environment and object, simulation, hypermedia, and software or cellphone applications were the tools the nursing professors used the most. Studies highlight that the application of technology was important in the teaching-learning process, since it encouraged teaching based on safe care, motivating and developing abilities/competences, supported on significant, effective, flexible, and autonomous learning.

CONCLUSION

The contribution of the technology for nursing formation stands out, but it should be highlighted that its employment must be critical, reflective, based on pedagogical theories and developed by trained professors.

What's Your Diagnosis? A Rapid Inquiry-Based Game To Differentiate and Review Medically Important Microbes

A central component of science education involves teaching the process of hypothesis development and modification.  This is often done through repeated cycles of questioning, followed by data collection and refinement of hypotheses.  Microbiology courses often include units on infectious diseases grouped by body system, with the goal of allowing students to make observations and use data to identify a specific microbe or class of microbes.  Given that disease syndromes often have similar signs and symptoms, but diverse etiologies, it can be difficult for students to distinguish and differentiate them.  We present a rapid-paced and engaging game that enables students to practice deductive and inductive cycles of reasoning to distinguish among various causes of infectious disease.  This game requires students to identify a microbe from a field of diverse, yet medically important, microorganisms by asking a series of Yes/No questions and replicating the process of elimination used in differential diagnosis. Students compete against each other, individually or in teams, to be the first to reach a “diagnosis” and learn to quickly refine their hypotheses and determine the most direct line of investigation using simple Yes/No questioning.  This game can be played in 15 to 30 minute sessions, and can be easily customized to a particular course’s content. 

Feasibility of Kahoot! as a Real-Time Assessment Tool in (Histo-)pathology Classroom Teaching

PURPOSE

New technologies like gamification are continuously integrated into medical education during the last years. However, the benefit and implementation of such gaming platforms are not clearly studied. This analysis assesses the feasibility of Kahoot! regarding simplicity and low-cost performance as a learning/teaching tool for medical education in (histo-)pathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this feasibility pilot study, we developed 36 modules for different benign and malignant tumors, covering four major topics: gastrointestinal tract, dermatology, urogenital tract, and hematology. Each module included histomorphological text-based questions for education of 2nd-year medical students. The online gaming-platform Kahoot! was anonymously implemented before and after "classical" medical education which included discussions of histological slides for each tumor entity using Microsoft PowerPoint-based presentations in combination with microscopical demonstrations. Participating students were invited to a seven-questions evaluation about the online educational approach.

RESULTS

Overall, 23 of 51 students of the study class completed the pre- and the post-evaluation of Kahoot! in one or more organ systems. The percentage of correct answers increased from the initial mean/median of 47.2/45% to 77.2/76.3%. Simultaneously, the time for answering questions decreased by roughly 50% (from mean/median time of 9.1/8.3 seconds to 5.1/4.3 seconds) from pre- to post-assessment. The results were independent of gender; however, there were scoring differences between the different organ systems. Students positively evaluated the routine implementation of the gaming-platform Kahoot! within medical education.

CONCLUSION

Kahoot! is as a simple, direct, and low-cost application in medical teaching improving learning outcomes of pathomorphological topics with high acceptance by students. Kahoot!-based evaluations should be also performed in more advanced topics in the field of histopathology.