Abstract
In recent years, growing interest has been seen in the application of gamification in education, which can be defined as the application of game design elements in learning activities. The goal of gamification is to motivate students by creating an engaging learning experience that can keep them focused on learning tasks in the classroom. However, gamification is a major challenge for education, particularly in higher education institutions. The present work presents 11 gamification activities for teaching pharmacology in a medical course. The moment at which the activity fits best in the class, the ways in which the activity can be applied, and the advantages and difficulties that are associated with each game in the classroom are presented. We report student evaluations of the gamification learning activities. The use of these games fosters learning, increases academic engagement, and makes classes more enjoyable.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the students of T1 of the medical course at Paranaense University for their engagement and mutual construction of this methodology, Cinthia Aparecida, Rafael Jaillot, Karine Sanches Santos, and Sirlei Fatima Lima Morais for their assistance, and Michael Arends for proofreading the manuscript.
Funding
This research was supported by Diretoria Executiva de Gestão da Extensão Universitária, Paranaense University (UNIPAR).
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dos Reis Lívero, F.A., da Silva, G.R., Amaral, E.C. et al. Playfulness in the classroom: Gamification favor the learning of pharmacology. Educ Inf Technol 26, 2125–2141 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10350-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10350-w