Learners' perspective on the inclusion of gamification and advanced technology as teaching methods in undergraduate...

Gamification involves applying game design elements to non-game contexts. Pharmacy students often encounter overwhelming resources, highlighting the need for innovative strategies to enhance learning.

To assess undergraduate pharmacy students' perceptions of using gamification and advanced technology (AT) as teaching methods at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).

A one-arm post-interventional survey was conducted, using stratified random sampling to select participants from professional pharmacy classes. The intervention involved a video-based tutorial educating students on gamification and AT, followed by a Google form questionnaire to gather responses. Descriptive statistics summarized the data, while Chi-square and regression analyses identified factors influencing perceptions and outcomes.

A total of 441 students participated (response rate = 72.1 %), with 271 (61.5 %) female participants and 266 (60.3 %) living off-campus. Only 26 (5.9 %) found traditional teaching methods effective, and 197 (44.7 %) reported difficulty understanding course content, with 282 (63.9 %) resorting to cramming. Prior to the intervention, 105 (23.8 %) and 222 (51.4 %) were familiar with gamification and AT concepts, respectively. After the intervention, 244 (55.3 %) agreed that gamification and 258 (58.5 %) advanced technology such as simulated learning to improve learning experiences. Gender (being male) was a predictor of a lower likelihood of achieving positive outcomes from gamification and AT in pharmacy education (OR: 0.394, 95 % CI: 0.230-0.673, p = 0.001).

Overall, pharmacy students had a fair knowledge of gamification and advanced technology, and most believed that these approaches would enhance their learning outcomes, suggesting a strong potential for integrating such methods into pharmacy education.