Students perceptions of the incorporation of games into classroom instruction for basic and clinical pharmacokinetics.

OBJECTIVE

To develop classroom games as alternatives to traditional pharmacokinetic instruction.

DESIGN

three classroom games were created for the following purposes: simple semester review, application of pharmacokinetics in a community-pharmacy setting, and development of critical thinking skills and concept application. All the games incorporated some degree of group activity.

ASSESSMENT

A survey was conducted of students' attitudes towards the incorporation of games into the classroom. A comparison of final examination scores to scores from the previous year was used to determine whether incorporating games hindered learning.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, students found the games enjoyable, but some students questioned how much they learned. Although the games appeared to have a positive impact on grades and incorporated more than just factual, book knowledge (eg, critical thinking skills), determining how these games improved learning will require further assessment.