What’s Your Diagnosis? A Rapid Inquiry–Based Game To Differentiate and Review Medically Important Microbes<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1-jmbe-21-65">†</xref>

Abstract

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.