Effect of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure (CYOA) Activities on Pharmacy Student Knowledge

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Medical Education
• Active Learning Strategies

Background:

• Pharmacy education utilizes active learning strategies to enhance student engagement.
• Gamification, specifically choose-your-own-adventure activities (CYOAA), is an emerging pedagogical tool.
• Assessing the impact of CYOAA on clinical knowledge and retention is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of CYOAA in improving clinical knowledge and retention in second-year pharmacy students.
• To compare student performance in CYOAA modules for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Main Methods:

• Two CYOAA modules on VTE and COPD were implemented in second-year pharmacy courses.
• Students completed pre- and post-quizzes for each activity, with related questions on course exams.
• Post-activity surveys assessed student perceptions and preferred learning methods.

Main Results:

• Mean assessment scores increased significantly for the COPD CYOAA (62% to 83% to 85%) but decreased for the VTE CYOAA (68% to 65% to 40%).
• A majority of students preferred CYOAA over traditional case studies and reported improved knowledge, critical thinking, and decision-making confidence.
• Student perceptions were positive for both VTE and COPD CYOAA modules.

Conclusions:

• CYOAA implementation yielded mixed outcomes in knowledge assessment, with significant improvement for COPD but a decline for VTE.
• Despite varied knowledge outcomes, student feedback indicates a strong preference for CYOAA and perceived benefits in learning.
• CYOAA represents a promising, well-received innovation in pharmacy education that may enhance knowledge acquisition.