Assessing the reaction to and efficacy of the Screener drug discovery and development board game as a pedagogical tool in postgraduate courses

Screener, a board game supplemented with online resources, was introduced and distributed by the Brazilian Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics to postgraduate programs as an instructional tool for the process of drug discovery and development (DDD). In this study, we provided a comprehensive analysis of five critical aspects for evaluating the quality of educational games, namely: 1) description of the intervention; 2) underlying pedagogical theory; 3) identification of local educational gaps; 4) impact on diverse stakeholders; and 5) elucidation of iterative quality enhancement processes. We also present qualitative and quantitative assessments of the effectiveness of this game in 11 postgraduate courses. We employed the MEEGA+ online survey, comprising thirty-three close-ended unipolar items with 5-point Likert-type response scales, to assess student perceptions of the quality and utility of Screener. Based on 115 responses, the results indicated a highly positive outlook among students. In addition, we performed a preliminary evaluation of learning outcomes in two courses involving 28 students. Pre- and post-quizzes were applied, each consisting of 20 True/False questions directly aligned with the game's content. The analysis revealed significant improvement in students' performance following engagement with the game, with scores rising from 8.4 to 13.3 (P<0.0001, paired t-test) and 9.7 to 12.7 (P<0.0001, paired t-test). These findings underscore the utility of Screener as an enjoyable and effective tool for facilitating a positive learning experience in the DDD process. Notably, the game can also reduce the educational disparities across different regions of our continental country.

Acolhendo as trajetórias universitárias: intervenção grupal com o jogo Travessias / Embracing university trajectories: a group intervention using the crossings card game / La acogida de las trayectorias universitarias: intervención grupal con el juego Travesías

As trajetórias de estudantes que ingressam no Ensino Superior envolvem inúmeros desafios. A necessidade de incorporar novos papéis à formação universitária, a possível separação do núcleo familiar, as expectativas acadêmicas e os interesses profissionais em torno do ingresso na universidade e a integração da população estudantil são exemplos do que constitui as experiências de universitários. Esse relato tem por objetivo apresentar a adaptação e o uso do jogo de cartas Travessias como estratégia de construção de espaços de diálogos educativos promotores de integração na universidade, partindo da compreensão ampliada das juventudes e dos processos de mediação na relação com estudantes ao longo das suas experiências no Ensino Superior. O uso do jogo serviu como um potente recurso educativo para promover espaços seguros de partilhas e percepções entre os estudantes acerca de suas vivências universitárias.(AU)

The trajectories of students entering higher education involve numerous challenges. The need to incorporate new roles into university training, leaving the family home, academic expectations and professional interests surrounding students, and the integration of the student population are examples of what constitutes the experiences of university students. This experience report outlines the adaption and use of the card game Travessias (crossings) as a strategy to build spaces for educational dialogue that promote student integration into university life based on a broad understanding of youth and mediation processes in student relationships throughout their experiences in higher education. The game is a powerful educational resource for promoting safe spaces for students to share perceptions of their university experiences.(AU)

Las trayectorias de estudiantes que ingresan en la enseñanza superior envuelven innumerables desafíos. La necesidad de incorporar nuevos papeles en la formación universitaria, la posible separación del núcleo familiar, las expectativas académicas y los intereses profesionales alrededor del ingreso en la universidad y la integración de la población estudiantil son ejemplos de lo que constituyen las experiencias de universitarios. El objetivo de este relato es presentar la adaptación y el uso del juego de cartas Travesías como estrategia de construcción de espacios de diálogos educativos promotores de integración en la universidad, partiendo de la comprensión ampliada de las juventudes y de los procesos de medición en la relación con estudiantes durante sus experiencias en la enseñanza superior. El uso del juego sirvió como un potente recurso educativo para promover espacios seguros de comparticiones y percepciones entre los estudiantes sobre sus vivencias universitarias.(AU)

"Design and implementation of ""ECG challenge"" educational game APP" / 中华医学教育探索杂志

ECG is a highly practical discipline,not only requires students to have a solid theoretical foundation,but also requires them to have a wealth of clinical practice (graph reading) capacity.This study aims to improve the students' ability of reading ECG,and introduces the game logic and mechanism,to design and implement the educational games APP.The structure of this APP includes learning module,test module,and evaluation and feedback module,which can realize the three functions of independent inquiry,cooperation plus communication,and test challenge.By the development and application of this kind of inquiry medical education game on the mobile terminal,we can provide learners with adaptive,fragmented,and game-based mobile learning environment.

Desenvolvimento e análise de jogo educativo para crianças visando à prevenção de doenças parasitológicas / Development and analysis of an educational game for children aiming prevention of parasitological diseases

As crianças brasileiras, sobretudo de famílias de baixa renda, apresentam uma prevalência significativa de parasitoses intestinais. As intervenções educativas podem estimular ações que contribuam para a prevenção deste tipo de infecção. Os jogos educativos são uma ferramenta lúdica que fazem do educando um agente ativo no processo. Foi desenvolvido um jogo de tabuleiro para ensinar hábitos de saúde que promovem a prevenção de parasitoses intestinais. O jogo foi testado em 98 escolares entre sete e 13 anos, aplicando pré e pós-teste. Os resultados do pós-teste foram significativamente superiores aos do pré-teste. Os dados indicam que as crianças que realizaram o jogo apresentaram um acréscimo significativo no conhecimento que possuíam sobre hábitos de saúde que previnem parasitoses intestinais. Todavia, parte dos sujeitos apresentavam conhecimento prévio dos conteúdos abordados, e as crianças mais velhas tenderam a ter um pior desempenho.

The incidence of intestinal parasitological infections among Brazilian children, especially among those from low-income families, is high. Educational interventions can encourage actions that help to prevent this type of infection. Additionally, educational games are playful tools that lead students to engage more actively in the learning process. The objective of this study is to evaluate an educational tool for children that teaches them how to avoid intestinal parasitological diseases: a board game developed for this purpose. The game was tested among 98 school children aged 7-13, who took a pre-test before the game and a post-test afterward to measure their knowledge. The post-tests results were significantly better than the pre-test ones. Our data show that overall, after playing the board game, children had a significantly better knowledge of the health habits needed to prevent parasitological infections. Still, some of them had prior knowledge of the content addressed and the older ones tended to have the weakest performance.

Los niños brasileños, sobre todo los de familias de baja renta, presentan una prevalencia significativa de parásitos intestinales. Las intervenciones educativas pueden estimular acciones que contribuyan con la prevención de este tipo de infección. Los juegos educativos son una herramienta lúdica haciendo del aprendiz un agente activo en el proceso. Se desarrollo un juego de tablero donde se enseñaban los hábitos de salud que previenen parásitos intestinales. El juego fue experimentado en 98 escolares entre siete y 13 años, que realizaron una prueba previa y una prueba después del juego. Los resultados de la prueba final fueron significativamente superiores que los de la prueba previa. Los datos revelan que los niños que realizaron el juego presentaron una significativa mejora de conocimiento respecto a los hábitos de salud que previenen parásitos intestinales. Sin embargo, parte de los niños tenían conocimiento anterior de los contenidos abordados y los mayores tendieron a un peor desempeño.