Background and purpose: Peer teaching and serious gaming are effective pedagogical approaches to actively engage learners, foster collaboration, and promote student accountability for self-directed learning. Literature describing how students learn about and are assessed on knowledge of newly approved medications is lacking. The objective of this project is to describe the design and implementation of a peer-taught virtual educational gaming activity, assess impact on knowledge of newly approved medications, and describe student perceptions of the activity.
Educational activity and setting: Pharmacy students in the fourth professional year developed and delivered a topic discussion focusing on newly approved medications to peers utilizing a virtual escape room gaming format. The activity was delivered via Zoom, Version 4.6.9 (Zoom Video Communications, Inc). A pre- and post-activity knowledge-based assessment and perception-based questionnaire were administered to participants. Observations regarding teamwork and communication were collected by facilitators.
Findings: Sixteen students participated in this activity. Mean scores on the knowledge quiz were higher post-activity compared to pre-activity (8.1 vs. 6.3). The activity was perceived positively by participants with 100% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that they "enjoyed the escape room theme for the activity and would recommend it to a friend." Zoom was perceived an effective platform to deliver this activity. All facilitators observed students working effectively as a team to complete the activity.
Summary: Virtual gaming developed and facilitated by peer teachers may be an effective method for delivering educational content and positively influencing student learning.
Keywords: Escape room; Medication knowledge; Newly approved medications; Peer teaching; Serious gaming; Virtual.
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