BINGO! Elevating Medical Physiology Tutorials Through Gamification

We introduced a BINGO game as an active learning strategy for pulmonary, renal, and endocrine physiology, aiming to enhance student engagement and application of physiology knowledge.

Each BINGO tutorial utilized a template featuring 50-60 questions aligned with prior learning events, was delivered to 90 second-year medical students, and lasted 50-80 minutes. Iterative improvements, including revealing correct answers and a polling system, were implemented based on student feedback. Sessions required BINGO materials, prizes, and, in one iteration, polling software. Postsession surveys assessed perceptions and engagement via a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Thematic analysis of feedback informed iterative improvements while t tests compared responses across sessions.

Of the 90 students participating, between 31 and 47 (34%-52%) responded to each postevent survey. Students reported high engagement (average: 4.4) and perceived effectiveness of time spent (average: 4.1) across BINGO games. The games were rated as effective educational tools (average: 4.2) and valuable for applying physiology knowledge (average: 4.4) on diverse topics (average: 4.4). Students expressed a desire for continued BINGO use in future tutorials (average: 4.2). Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences among the three iterations.

Students valued iterative changes based on their feedback, such as revealing correct answers after questions. The pulmonary survey led to implementing this change in the renal BINGO tutorial, and the renal survey prompted further improvements in the endocrine tutorial, addressing the need for sufficient explanation of correct answers. Students also appreciated the abundance of practice questions provided.