Engaging Students in Searching the Literature

Med Ref Serv Q. 2019 Oct-Dec;38(4):326-338. doi: 10.1080/02763869.2019.1657726.

Abstract

In 2014, the library curriculum for the College of Pharmacy was revised, with the number of sessions increased from one per term for two terms to one per term for three terms, instruction was scaffolded, and the flipped classroom model was employed, with active learning and assessments used throughout. This article will describe how the active learning portion of one session was gamified: why a "serious game" was the correct tool to use to improve student learning, how the game was created, and what was the theory underlying this transformation.

Keywords: Active learning; database searching; flipped classroom; flipped learning; games; gamification; instructional design.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Curriculum*
  • Education, Pharmacy / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Information Storage and Retrieval / methods*
  • Male
  • Michigan
  • Problem-Based Learning / methods*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data*
  • Video Games*
  • Young Adult