Design and evaluation of a serious game for teaching nanotechnologies in pharmacy education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2023.231.762768Keywords:
Nanotechnology, Pharmaceutical education, Pharmaceutical technology, Serious game, VectorisationAbstract
Introduction: A serious game was implemented and evaluated to consolidate the knowledge of third-year pharmacy students about drug vectorisation systems.
Methods: After a lecture on nanotechnology in health, students were immersed in a magical world for the one-and-a-half-hour tutorial: to complete their mission, they had to pick the right cards and solve puzzles within a limited time. Then, in debriefing, all the key concepts were recalled and explained according to their metaphorical counterparts, i.e. the puzzles. Feedback from the beta-test in 2021 (n=112) helped to optimise the pitch, the game, the rules and the debriefing. A formative evaluation was performed in 2022 (n=140) investigating students’ perception immediately after the session and immediate knowledge retention using a pre-test/post-test evaluation. The results of the final assessment were considered indirect indicators of student involvement.
Results: Although the game itself did not immediately improve the students’ knowledge retention, it really was a great tool to motivate and engage participants, which might explain a significant improvement in the final assessment.
Conclusion: A serious game can be an interesting tool to teach pharmaceutical technology. To help colleagues wishing to revitalise their pharmacy interventions, a non-exhaustive list of ideas to consider before starting the game conception is provided.
References
Aburahma, M. H, & Mohamed, H. M. (2015). Educational games as a teaching tool in pharmacy curriculum. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 79(4), 59. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe79459
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.
Cain, J., Conway, J. M., DiVall, M. V., Erstad, B. L., Lockman, P. R., Ressler, J. C., Schwartz, A. H., Stolte, S., & Nemire, R. E. (2014). Report of the 2013-2014 academic affairs committee. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(10), S23. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7810s23
Dabbous, M., Kawtharani, A., Fahs, I., Hallal, Z., Shouman, D., Akel, M., Rahal, M., & Sakr, F. (2022). The role of game-based learning in experiential education: Tool validation, motivation assessment, and outcomes evaluation among a sample of pharmacy students. Education Sciences, 12(7), 434. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12070434
Deterding, S., Khaled, R., Nacke, L., & Dixon, D. (2011). Gamification: Toward a definition. CHI 2011 Gamification Workshop Proceedings. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Gamification-%3A-Toward-a-Definition-Deterding-Khaled/84fe3e41153d73dd0675ae14501a497c22b2a63f
Fanning, R. M., & Gaba, D. M. (2007). The role of debriefing in simulation-based learning. Simulation in Healthcare: The journal of the society for simulation in Healthcare, 2(2), 115‒125. https://doi.org/10.1097/sih.0b013e3180315539
Garnier, A., Vanherp, R., Bonnabry, P., & Bouchoud, L. (2021). Use of simulation for education in hospital pharmaceutical technologies: A systematic review. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 30(2), 70‒76. https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fejhpharm-2021-003034
Garnier, A., Butaye, L., Bonnabry, P. & Bouchoud, L. (2023). A room of errors simulation to improve pharmacy operators' knowledge of cytotoxic drug production. Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice, 10781552231152145. https://doi.org/10.1177/10781552231152145
Gil-Alegre, M. E., Molina-Martinez, I. T., Veiga-Ochoa, M. D, del Rocio Herrero-Vanrell, M., Ruiz-Caro, R., Esteban-Pérez, S., Lopez-Cano, J. J., Garcia-Herranz, D., Bravo Osuna, I. & Andrés-Guerrero, V. (2020). Can we learn pharmaceutical technology playing? INTED2020 Proceedings, 14th International technology, education and development conference, 8952‒8957. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2020.2448
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Press.
Michael, D. R, & Chen, S. L. (2005). Serious games: Games that educate, train, and inform. Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade.
Morris, B., Croker, S., Zimmerman, C., Gill, D., & Romig, C. (2013). Gaming science: The “gamification” of scientific thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 607. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00607
Oestreich, J. H., & Guy, J. W. (2022). Game-based learning in pharmacy education. Pharmacy, 10(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy10010011
Persky, A. M., Stegall-Zanation, J., & Dupuis R. E. (2007). Students perceptions of the incorporation of games into classroom instruction for basic and clinical pharmacokinetics. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 71(2), 21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17533430/
Pierfy, D. A. (1997). Comparative simulation game research: Stumbling blocks and stepping. Simulation and Games, 8(2), 255–268. https://doi.org/10.1177/003755007782006
van Gaalen, A. E. J, Brouwer, J., Schönrock-Adema, J., Bouwkamp-Timmer, T., Jaarsma, A. D. C, & Georgiadis, J. R. (2021). Gamification of health professions education: A systematic review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 26(2), 683‒711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-020-10000-3
