Gamifying anatomy education

Abstract

The objective of our research is to find out if gamification increases motivation for self-directed learning (SDL) of human anatomy among year 1 medical students, and more importantly, their academic grades (n = 120). At the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, anatomy teaching has traditionally been delivered via didactic means. To encourage more active learning, suitable games (non-digital) and the script concordance test were utilized to enhance the process. The flipped classroom approach was also introduced to further trigger active learning. In addition, the use of mobile apps (digital) was also initiated as supplements for SDL. Feedback was collected based on the previously validated PRO-SDL scale. Results from the research yielded inconclusive evidence to support enhanced motivation among our students due to gamification (P > 0.05). However, it did help to encourage active participation for a “fun learning” experience supported by numerous positive comments. More importantly, the participant's continuous assessment (CA1, CA2, and CA3) and objective specific practical exam results were better than the cohort's average (P < 0.05), suggesting that enhanced meta-cognition, and factual recall had taken place. While it is positive, there are some caveats to note with gamification, first and foremost, that it is tutor dependent. Taken together, gamification could represent a new paradigm for anatomy education, and also an opportune time to change the prevailing culture in the healthcare and education industry. Clin. Anat. 31:997–1005, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.