An Educational Network for Surgical Education Supported by Gamification Elements: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Reflecting on gamified learning in medical education: a systematic literature review grounded in the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy 2012-2022

BACKGROUND

The acquisition of in-depth medical knowledge, skills, and competencies is of utmost importance when training future medical professionals. This systematic literature review delves into the empirical connection between gamified learning in medical education and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy.

METHODS

Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted in seven databases to identify empirical studies related to gamification and medical education. The literature search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between January 2012 and December 2022. Articles focusing on games or learning technologies in a broader sense as well as research focusing on nursing or pharmacy education were excluded.

RESULTS

Upon reviewing 23 qualified empirical studies that applied gamified learning strategies in medical education, 18 (78%) studies are associated with the second lowest level (uni-structural) of the SOLO taxonomy. The mid-level (multi-structural) learning outcomes are associated with three (13%) of the reviewed studies. There are five (22%) studies focusing on the second highest (relational) level of the SOLO. Only one study (4%) is associated with the highest SOLO level (extended-abstract). Finally, three (13%) studies were identified with multiple levels of the SOLO. In addition to the SOLO levels, the review found six (26%) studies emphasizing motivational and engagement support of gamified learning strategies in facilitating intended learning outcome attainment. A total of three (13%) studies, across three SOLO levels, suggested that gamified learning strategies can improve students' soft skills in medical education programs.

CONCLUSION

These findings collectively emphasize the need for future research and development to design gamified learning experiences capable of fostering higher SOLO taxonomy attainment in medical education. Moreover, there is potential to extend the SOLO framework to encompass motivational and affective learning outcomes, providing a comprehensive understanding of the impact of gamified learning on medical students.

The exploration of remote simulation strategies for the acquisition of psychomotor skills in medicine: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background

Progress in remote educational strategies was fueled by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pilot RCT explored the efficacy of a decentralized model of simulation based on principles of observational and peer-to-peer learning for the acquisition of surgical skills.

Methods

Sixty medical students from the University of Montreal learned the running subcuticular suture in four different conditions: (1) Control group (2) Self-learning (3) Peer-learning (4) Peer-learning with expert feedback. The control group learned with error-free videos, while the others, through videos illustrating strategic sub-optimal performances to be identified and discussed by students. Performance on a simulator at the end of the learning period, was assessed by an expert using a global rating scale (GRS) and checklist (CL).

Results

Students engaging in peer-to-peer learning strategies outperformed students who learned alone. The presence of an expert, and passive vs active observational learning strategies did not impact performance.

Conclusion

This study supports the efficacy of a remote learning strategy and demonstrates how collaborative discourse optimizes the students' acquisition of surgical skills. These remote simulation strategies create the potential for implantation in future medical curriculum design.Trial Registration: NCT04425499 2020-05-06.

Gamification of e-learning in higher education: a systematic literature review

In recent years, university teaching methods have evolved and almost all higher education institutions use e-learning platforms to deliver courses and learning activities. However, these digital learning environments present significant dropout and low completion rates. This is primarily due to the lack of student motivation and engagement. Gamification which can be defined as the application of game design elements in non-game activities has been used to address the issue of learner distraction and stimulate students’ involvement in the course. However, choosing the right combination of game elements remains a challenge for gamification designers and practitioners due to the lack of proven design approaches, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach that works regardless of the gamification context. Therefore, our study focused on providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of gamification in online learning in higher education that can serve as a resource for gamification practitioners when designing gamified systems. In this paper, we aimed to systematically explore the different game elements and gamification theory that have been used in empirical studies; establish different ways in which these game elements have been combined and provide a review of the state-of-the-art of approaches proposed in the literature for gamifying e-learning systems in higher education. A systematic search of databases was conducted to select articles related to gamification in digital higher education for this review, namely, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. We included studies that consider the definition of gamification as the application of game design elements in non-game activities, designed for online higher education. We excluded papers that use the term of gamification to refer to game-based learning, serious games, games, video games, and those that consider face-to-face learning environments. We found that PBL elements (points, badges, and leaderboards), levels, and feedback and are the most commonly used elements for gamifying e-learning systems in higher education. We also observed the increasing use of deeper elements like challenges and storytelling. Furthermore, we noticed that of 39 primary studies, only nine studies were underpinned by motivational theories, and only two other studies used theoretical gamification frameworks proposed in the literature to build their e-learning systems. Finally, our classification of gamification approaches reveals the trend towards customization and personalization in gamification and highlights the lack of studies on content gamification compared to structural gamification.