A Collaborative Game to Assist Veterinary Undergraduate Students in the Conceptualization of a Research Dissertation

The veterinary thesis, mandatory in many veterinary curricula, represents an important step in terms of students' autonomy and research-led education. The choice of the topic is crucial, especially when the student initiates it rather than accepting a teacher's proposal. To promote diverse thesis work and provide greater support to students, a collaborative game and preparatory activity have been designed with a focus on the thesis project. The game was developed to raise awareness among students about the challenges of creativity and feasibility. The training sequence began with a short presentation by the instructor about the ideation process and project management tools. Then, under the instructor supervision, the students played using a deck of cards and worksheets. In the first phase, each group of students drew four cards and used them to imagine an experimental or a clinical thesis topic. The cards represented the elements of a PICO-like question (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome). In the second phase, the groups exchanged their forms with another group, allowing them to evaluate each other's work and suggest modifications. This evaluation phase was based on "De Bono's 6 thinking hats method," which encourages students to adopt different perspectives such as critical, creative, or objective thinking when assessing their peers' work. The student appreciation survey, conducted after the training, yielded positive results, particularly in terms of helping students identify different approaches to a topic and fostering collaborative peer discussions.