The use of voiceovers and review games in teaching immunology

Active learning and flipped classrooms have gained popularity in higher education due to their ability to improve educational outcomes. This study evaluated whether combining voiceover lectures and review games could improve learner engagement and satisfaction while achieving learning outcomes comparable to those of traditional immunology didactic lectures. A total of 123 first- and second-year medical students were randomly assigned to groups that took formative quizzes on immunology material after exposure to either: (i) a traditional didactic lecture, (ii) a voiceover lecture followed by an in-class discussion of the voiceover and subsequent review game, or (iii) a blind control group that had no exposure to the material. Furthermore, students provided feedback on the pedagogy and their learning preferences. Students were very enthusiastic about the review games and preferred shorter voiceovers containing formative questions embedded within the voiceover. Importantly, there was no significant difference in quiz performance between the 2 pedagogies, and both groups performed significantly better than the blind control group. A slight but significant decrease in student preference for voiceovers was noted throughout the duration of this multiyear study, which occurred during and shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty who observed this pedagogy expressed an increased willingness to use voiceovers and review games if they received training and information technology support. Collectively, this longitudinal study demonstrated support from both faculty and students for the combined use of voiceovers plus review games and captured a potential shift in medical student preferences for learning in recent years during the COVID-19 pandemic.