Low‐Tech Gamification and TBL Strategies to Teach Physiolgy

Abstract

The concept of gamification in education refers to the process of adding active game elements into a course to encourage participation. Games help develop skills and confidence in healthcare professionals. Herein, we are aiming to engage the students in a game experience that will uncover the topic in question in a scaffolding manner. Specifically, we assisted first year Pharmacy students in understanding the autonomic nervous system’s (ANS) structure and function using an interactive game coupled to a team‐based learning session, devoid of any technology. We used a flipped/TBL classroom design in a 2‐hour interactive problem‐solving supplemental instruction session (SI). Prior to class, the students completed pre‐class activities in form of diagrams, crossword puzzles and fill‐in the blank to engage them with anatomical terminology. During the SI, 8 students/group (128 students total) worked collaboratively. The class met in an active learning designed room to facilitate small group interaction. The organization of the SI followed a constructive alignment: (1) Pre‐class activities: self‐paced interactive learning and reading; (2) Assessment of foundational learning before SI session with group activity, pair‐share/team‐based learning (TBL), 1–3 minutes microlecture; (3) Student group activity with discussion: game, diagram, fill in the blanks, match activities; (4) Group share: white board sharing “quiz” among the groups. To evaluate the success of this approach we used a grading rubric for pre‐class activities, post‐lecture assessments, measure classroom activity using GORP, student evaluation/survey, faculty peer evaluation.Support or Funding InformationPromoting Active Learning and Mentoring Network (PALM); College of Pharmacy Faculty Development ‐ University of Houston