Insights in Neurosurgery

Gamification and game-based schooling in nervous system science and neuroscience: Applications, difficulties, and openings

Gamification offers a broad range of options to tackle a number of applications with potential for improved accessibility. Game-based approaches have the potential to be used both as a training tool and as a summative or formative assessment in neurology education. In its simplest form, an easily implementable gamification element for the neurology curriculum can be a digital multiple-choice question quiz show game. This can be played either individually or in teams to assess knowledge and collaborative skills. As the gamification element taps on the competitive nature of the learners, it can be exploited to ‘put to the test’ the collaborative skills among the team. In more details, a random team-allocation may favour the development of collaborative skills among residents and fellows whereas a ‘blind’ topic allocation (i.e. only seconds before the start of the game) can prevent strategic learning of the tested material. While some data exist to guide the optimal design of these game-based learning platforms as was discussed above, there is a wide gap in the optimal approach in neurology education whether at the undergraduate or graduate medical education level.

Author(s):

Stefano S

Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Abstract | PDF

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