INTERACTIVE ELECTRONIC GAMES AS A PATHOLOGY PRE-EXAM REVIEW TOOL

Rani Kanthan*, College of Medicine University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7NOW8 Saskatchewan, CANADA.

Purpose

Reduced student contact hours with a shift towards student centered learning strategies led to the delivery of a pre-exam review in the pathology course delivered to first and second year medical students via interactive electronic games. This study evaluates the value of this educational intervention.

Methods

Interactive electronic game formats including Truth, Word Jumble, Twenty Questions, Snakes and Ladders and Jeopardy were utilized for a 50 Question pre-exam review of the pathology content for the first and second year medical students. 15 modified questions from this pool were administered in the written examination to evaluate its learning utilization component. Feedback for this educational intervention was obtained individually through a semi-structured survey questionnaire.

Results

The notion of an electronic game format for an exam review was well received by students who found this activity useful and effective. They appreciated the variety of game presentations and enjoyed reviewing the material at their convenience as a group or solitary activity. The examination performance outcome of the game content related questions were better in relation to the responses to the remainder of the examination.

Conclusion

Interactive electronic games can be constructed in the context of pathology teaching, providing an avenue for effective rapid delivery of information with standardization of content distribution as a review tool. Such activities foster an improved and facilitated learning environment with increased student engagement.

Future