Boosting Pharmacy Foundational Science Education Through Game-Based Learning and Active Engagement Strategies

Background: Game-based learning (GBL) and active engagement strategies have shown promise in health professions education; however, their application in foundational basic science courses, which serve as critical academic gatekeepers in professional pharmacy programs, remains underexplored. Objective: This study evaluated the effect of a multimodal suite of faculty-developed, web-based GBL activities and active engagement strategies on academic performance, learning management system (LMS) engagement, and student perceptions in a required first-year (P1) pharmacy biochemistry course. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 117 P1 pharmacy students. Game-based activities (including Jeopardy, Rapid Fire, and Crossword Puzzle games) were developed using WiscOnline and deployed via Blackboard alongside pre-class activities, a Workbook, and a Padlet discussion board. Engagement was measured via LMS access metrics, academic performance via examination scores, and perceptions via an end-of-semester anonymous Poll Everywhere survey. Results: The cohort achieved a mean examination score of 81.59%, with 83.8% earning a passing grade. A positive association was observed between game access frequency and grade group performance (R² = 0.8241), though individual-level correlations did not reach statistical significance. Student perceptions were overwhelmingly positive, with over 90% of respondents agreeing that GBL activities were enjoyable, facilitated learning, and provided valuable practice opportunities. Conclusions: Low-cost, faculty-developed GBL tools can be successfully integrated into foundational pharmacy science courses, yielding high engagement and positive student perceptions. These findings underscore the importance of extending active learning research to foundational basic science courses and offer a replicable model for health professions programs seeking to enhance student engagement at this critical curricular stage.