104 - Histopoly: Gamification and Histology Joining Hands to Teach 1st Year Students

Poster Board Number: 104
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Marta Santos - Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS); André Gomes - Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto; André Coelho - Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC)

Abstract Body : Histology is transversal in medical, dental and veterinary curricula. Classical teaching approaches are often undermined by lower motivation and engagement, which may be addressed by innovative techniques. The aim of this study was to develop a gamification approach and compare it with a classical teaching style. The gamification (Histopoly) consisted of a web application for the teacher/game-master, digital gaming application used by the students (controller), and a board game. The board had continuous lines for the four fundamental tissues (Epithelial/Connective/Muscular/Nervous) and tiles, some with questions, others with demanding activities (drawing, taking pictures, syllabus making). All students of an academic year were enrolled and laboratory sessions were similar except that four classes (n=94) played Histopoly at the end of all sessions, whereas other two classes (n=28) had small evaluations every 3 weeks at the beginning of sessions. According to the questionnaires’, gamified students were more motivated, engaged interconnected with classmates. The activity was considered fun, comforting and students enjoyed the classes. The percentage of correct answers provided throughout the game was significantly higher comparing with the classical approach. However, no differences in the examination scores were found. Overall, these findings argue for including gamification in modern approach for teaching Histology.