Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge
Abstract Background The use of serious games in medical education provides a bridge between rapidly developing technology and traditional health-care teaching. Building on a promising web-based serious game for reviewing and acquiring factual knowledge in dental education, the present study investig...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-08-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05884-3 |
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| author | Felix Krause Ben Horn Andreas Braun Sebastian Fedrowitz Laura Bell Martin Lemos |
| author_facet | Felix Krause Ben Horn Andreas Braun Sebastian Fedrowitz Laura Bell Martin Lemos |
| author_sort | Felix Krause |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The use of serious games in medical education provides a bridge between rapidly developing technology and traditional health-care teaching. Building on a promising web-based serious game for reviewing and acquiring factual knowledge in dental education, the present study investigated the benefits of a dual-player mode and various game options for enhancing knowledge gain and study motivation. Methods Before the intervention, students’ dental knowledge and game experience were assessed using a pre-knowledge test and questionnaire-based self-assessment. Students in the clinical study phase (n = 57) were stratified based on prior knowledge and gender and then randomly assigned to two groups, with two player modes: single player (SP) and dual player (DP). In the SP group, each participant played alone, whereas in the DP group, the participants played against a previously determined peer. For a period of 4 weeks, the students were able to playfully acquire knowledge from the field of operative dentistry using METIS, a serious game application with three different game options (Marathon, Sprint, and Time). After the intervention phase, both groups completed a post-knowledge test. The usability of the serious game was evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire. Results The competitive game mode (DP mode; M = 8.69, SD = 0.45) resulted in an increase in the factual knowledge test that was a mean of 2.97 points higher than the SP mode (M = 5.72, SD = 0.43; p < 0.001). The DP group also found the game significantly more helpful for learning (p = 0.04) and engaged more with the teaching content because of the app (p = 0.04). Overall, the usability of METIS was rated as excellent, and students successfully improved their knowledge of dentistry after game play with both game modes (SP, DP, p < 0.001), with the game option “Marathon,” which involves playing the largest number of questions, being the most preferred. Conclusions These results suggest that serious games such as METIS are a suitable educational medium for increasing students’ knowledge and interest in the field, and that competition with peers provides even greater motivation to engage with the learning content. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-48c2fa981fe04f549db9dba21bff45e6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-48c2fa981fe04f549db9dba21bff45e62025-08-20T03:43:02ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202024-08-0124111110.1186/s12909-024-05884-3Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledgeFelix Krause0Ben Horn1Andreas Braun2Sebastian Fedrowitz3Laura Bell4Martin Lemos5Department of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology, and Preventive Dentistry, RWTH Aachen University HospitalDepartment of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology, and Preventive Dentistry, RWTH Aachen University HospitalDepartment of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology, and Preventive Dentistry, RWTH Aachen University HospitalAudiovisual Media Center, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen UniversityAudiovisual Media Center, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen UniversityAudiovisual Media Center, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen UniversityAbstract Background The use of serious games in medical education provides a bridge between rapidly developing technology and traditional health-care teaching. Building on a promising web-based serious game for reviewing and acquiring factual knowledge in dental education, the present study investigated the benefits of a dual-player mode and various game options for enhancing knowledge gain and study motivation. Methods Before the intervention, students’ dental knowledge and game experience were assessed using a pre-knowledge test and questionnaire-based self-assessment. Students in the clinical study phase (n = 57) were stratified based on prior knowledge and gender and then randomly assigned to two groups, with two player modes: single player (SP) and dual player (DP). In the SP group, each participant played alone, whereas in the DP group, the participants played against a previously determined peer. For a period of 4 weeks, the students were able to playfully acquire knowledge from the field of operative dentistry using METIS, a serious game application with three different game options (Marathon, Sprint, and Time). After the intervention phase, both groups completed a post-knowledge test. The usability of the serious game was evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire. Results The competitive game mode (DP mode; M = 8.69, SD = 0.45) resulted in an increase in the factual knowledge test that was a mean of 2.97 points higher than the SP mode (M = 5.72, SD = 0.43; p < 0.001). The DP group also found the game significantly more helpful for learning (p = 0.04) and engaged more with the teaching content because of the app (p = 0.04). Overall, the usability of METIS was rated as excellent, and students successfully improved their knowledge of dentistry after game play with both game modes (SP, DP, p < 0.001), with the game option “Marathon,” which involves playing the largest number of questions, being the most preferred. Conclusions These results suggest that serious games such as METIS are a suitable educational medium for increasing students’ knowledge and interest in the field, and that competition with peers provides even greater motivation to engage with the learning content.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05884-3Dental educationSerious gameFactual knowledge trainingCompetition |
| spellingShingle | Felix Krause Ben Horn Andreas Braun Sebastian Fedrowitz Laura Bell Martin Lemos Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge BMC Medical Education Dental education Serious game Factual knowledge training Competition |
| title | Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge |
| title_full | Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge |
| title_fullStr | Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge |
| title_full_unstemmed | Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge |
| title_short | Who learns more: the impact of dual-player and single-player modes in a serious game on dental students’ factual knowledge |
| title_sort | who learns more the impact of dual player and single player modes in a serious game on dental students factual knowledge |
| topic | Dental education Serious game Factual knowledge training Competition |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05884-3 |
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