학술논문
Leveraging Technology and Gamification to Engage Learners in a Microbiology Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Walker J; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (UAB), University of Alabama, THT 229, 1900 University Blvd, AB 35294-0006 Birmingham, USA.; Heudebert JP; University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL USA.; Patel M; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (UAB), University of Alabama, THT 229, 1900 University Blvd, AB 35294-0006 Birmingham, USA.; Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, USA.; Cleveland JD; Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.; Westfall AO; Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.; Dempsey DM; Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.; Guzman A; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (UAB), University of Alabama, THT 229, 1900 University Blvd, AB 35294-0006 Birmingham, USA.; Zinski A; Department of Medical Education, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, USA.; Agarwal M; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (UAB), University of Alabama, THT 229, 1900 University Blvd, AB 35294-0006 Birmingham, USA.; Long D; Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.; Willig J; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (UAB), University of Alabama, THT 229, 1900 University Blvd, AB 35294-0006 Birmingham, USA.; Lee R; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (UAB), University of Alabama, THT 229, 1900 University Blvd, AB 35294-0006 Birmingham, USA.; Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, USA.
Source
Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101625548 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2156-8650 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 21568650 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Med Sci Educ Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Background: Microbiology is a critical and expansive topic that many medical schools' curriculum must teach in a constrained time frame. We implemented a microbiology question bank smart phone app enhanced with game elements and clinical pearls during a microbiology course for first-year medical students. We hypothesized that these enhancements and clinical pearls would engage the students meaningfully and increase their knowledge base.
Methods: Though use was optional, students' game play was recorded through the app, which was compared to test grades retrospectively. A player efficiency rating (PER) was calculated as a function of question response, accuracy, and engagement. Students were separated into tertiles of PER and median exam grades were compared using a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test. An anonymous satisfaction and usability feedback survey was also administered.
Results: One hundred eighty-one of the 189 students (96%) answered at least one question, and 165 (87%) completed all 56 questions. The average PER was 84.75. We received feedback surveys from 61 (34%) students in the course, with positive responses regarding the perceived impact on learning microbiology. The KW test found a positive correlation for median exam scores of the player groups when divided into tertiles by PER ( p = 0.0002).
Conclusions: We leveraged gamification and clinical pearls to design a supplemental microbiology question bank. We found high engagement overall and higher class exam scores associated with greater use of the question bank.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of InterestsWe received grant support as acknowledged above to support our application. None of our authors has any conflicts of interests to report. Our study was approved by our institutions Internal Review Board and permission granted through the Office of the Registrar. The datasets generated during and analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
(© The Author(s) 2022.)
Methods: Though use was optional, students' game play was recorded through the app, which was compared to test grades retrospectively. A player efficiency rating (PER) was calculated as a function of question response, accuracy, and engagement. Students were separated into tertiles of PER and median exam grades were compared using a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test. An anonymous satisfaction and usability feedback survey was also administered.
Results: One hundred eighty-one of the 189 students (96%) answered at least one question, and 165 (87%) completed all 56 questions. The average PER was 84.75. We received feedback surveys from 61 (34%) students in the course, with positive responses regarding the perceived impact on learning microbiology. The KW test found a positive correlation for median exam scores of the player groups when divided into tertiles by PER ( p = 0.0002).
Conclusions: We leveraged gamification and clinical pearls to design a supplemental microbiology question bank. We found high engagement overall and higher class exam scores associated with greater use of the question bank.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of InterestsWe received grant support as acknowledged above to support our application. None of our authors has any conflicts of interests to report. Our study was approved by our institutions Internal Review Board and permission granted through the Office of the Registrar. The datasets generated during and analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
(© The Author(s) 2022.)