Short-term gains in histology knowledge: A veterinary gaming application

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1 Innovation Senior Leadership Team, Adtalem Global Education, Downers Grove, IL, United States
2 Learning Sciences, Adtalem Global Educaiton, Downers Grove, IL, United States
3 Center for Teaching and Learning, Ross University Caribbean School of Medicine, Dominica
4 Wisconsin Center for Educational Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
DOI
10.7287/peerj.preprints.3421v1
Published
Accepted
Subject Areas
Veterinary Medicine, Science and Medical Education, Histology
Keywords
Veterinary Education, Educational Games, Digital Content, Histology, Digital Native, Gamification, Game-based Learning, Bauman Layered-learning Model
Copyright
© 2017 Bauman et al.
Licence
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
Cite this article
Bauman EB, Gilbert GE, Vaughan G. 2017. Short-term gains in histology knowledge: A veterinary gaming application. PeerJ Preprints 5:e3421v1

Abstract

Outcomes research exists incorporating non-digital games in veterinary education; however, little research examines outcomes from digital applications. Bauman’s Layered-Learning Model was applied to investigate whether a digital matching game produced short-term knowledge gains in veterinary students. Two groups of students (n1=67; n2=55) practiced the matching game for an hour. A Wilcoxon signed rank test tested for a statistically significant improvement in pre-test/post-test scores. All statistical analyses were done using R. Mean and median pre-test scores were 15 (SD=1.88; IQR: 2) and post-test scores 16 (SD=1.80; IQR: 2). Mean and median pre-test score for Group 2 were 13 (SD=2.30; IQR=2.5) and post-test scores 15 (SD=1.93; IQR=2.5). Both groups increased significantly in post-test scores (P value<.0001). Statistically significant short-term increases of marginal importance in histology knowledge was seen. A greater increase might be seen with quiz revision increasing difficulty and discrimination ability. Further directions should investigate long-term knowledge retention.

Author Comment

This is version 1.

The authors welcome feedback concerning this research and suggestions for improving future game-based research.