BMC Medical Education (Jul 2019)

Using online game-based platforms to improve student performance and engagement in histology teaching

  • Szabolcs Felszeghy,
  • Sanna Pasonen-Seppänen,
  • Ali Koskela,
  • Petteri Nieminen,
  • Kai Härkönen,
  • Kaisa M. A. Paldanius,
  • Sami Gabbouj,
  • Kirsi Ketola,
  • Mikko Hiltunen,
  • Mikael Lundin,
  • Tommi Haapaniemi,
  • Erkko Sointu,
  • Eric B. Bauman,
  • Gregory E. Gilbert,
  • David Morton,
  • Anitta Mahonen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1701-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Background Human morphology is a critical component of dental and medical graduate training. Innovations in basic science teaching methods are needed to keep up with an ever-changing landscape of technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students in a medical and dental histology course would have better grades if they used gaming software Kahoot® and whether gamification effects on learning and enjoyment. Methods In an effort to both evoke students’ interest and expand their skill retention, an online competition using Kahoot® was implemented for first-year students in 2018 (n = 215) at the University of Eastern Finland. Additionally, closed (160/215) or open-ended (41/215) feedback questions were collected and analyzed. Results The Kahoot® gamification program was successful and resulted in learning gains. The overall participant satisfaction using Kahoot® was high, with students (124/160) indicating that gamification increased their motivation to learn. The gaming approach seemed to enable the students to overcome individual difficulties (139/160) and to set up collaboration (107/160); furthermore, gamification promoted interest (109/160), and the respondents found the immediate feedback from senior professionals to be positive (146/160). In the open-ended survey, the students (23/41) viewed collaborative team- and gamification-based learning positively. Conclusion This study lends support to the use of gamification in the teaching of histology and may provide a foundation for designing a gamification-integrated curriculum across healthcare disciplines.

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