Medical Jargon: A game-based anatomy and physiology review for high school students in a summer pathway program

Active learning strategies, particularly game-based learning (GBL), have been shown to enhance student engagement and knowledge acquisition across various educational contexts. This study investigates the impact of a GBL activity, "Medical Jargon," for high school students learning anatomy and physiology while participating in the 2024 Summer Youth Scholars Program (SYSP) at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Thirty students attended a nine-part lecture series covering anatomy and physiology topics over 4 weeks in June and July 2024. The program concluded with "Medical Jargon," a game modeled after the game show "Password," designed to reinforce key concepts. Knowledge assessments (scored out of 100%) were administered at three time points: pre-course, pre-game, and post-game. Surveys were used to evaluate students' confidence, interest, and perceptions of GBL using a 5-point Likert scale. A one-way repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant increase in assessment scores (n = 24) from pre-course (M = 51.04, SD = 12.77) to pre-game (M = 66.67, SD = 15.44, p = 0.001) and from pre-course to post-game (M = 74.17, SD = 20.25, p < 0.001). No significant improvement was observed between the pre-game and post-game assessments (p = 0.219). Surveys (n = 26) revealed a significant increase in confidence in anatomy and physiology knowledge from the pre-course (M = 2.5, SD = 0.76) to the post-course survey (M = 3.19, SD = 0.90). These findings suggest that while lecture-based instruction is effective for knowledge acquisition, GBL activities like "Medical Jargon" can enhance confidence and reinforce learning. Future research should examine the long-term impact of GBL on retention and its potential to sustain interest in healthcare careers among youth learners.