Use of gamification in Biochemistry lessons as a tool for engagement and motivation in higher education

The traditional teaching methodology has been ineffective in stimulating the interest of students, a problem that gets worse when teaching biochemistry, which seems like an abstract and complex course. One strategy of didactic intervention that is being suggested in the past few years is Gamificatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: de Oliveira Silva, Yuri Rafael, Maciel Toda, Armando, Isotani, Seiji, Pereira Xavier, Luciana
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2017
Country:Brasil
Institution:Sociedade Brasileira de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular (SBBq)
Repository:Revista de Ensino de Bioquímica
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.bioquimica.org.br:article/697
Online Access:http://bioquimica.org.br/revista/ojs/index.php/REB/article/view/697
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Gamificação; Motivação; Engajamento
Description
Summary:The traditional teaching methodology has been ineffective in stimulating the interest of students, a problem that gets worse when teaching biochemistry, which seems like an abstract and complex course. One strategy of didactic intervention that is being suggested in the past few years is Gamification. In this work, game concepts were used to develop a mechanic in which the students acquire points when they take specific actions during the semester, that can be spent in a shop that sells benefits which can affect their performances. The gamified course was applied to students of the Biotechnology major at Universidade Federal do Pará. The students’ motivation was analyzed using a questionnaire, which evaluated the subjective experience of participants, that considered the course interesting, pleasant and fun. This methodology is presented as a complement to other teaching methods, with simple, flexible and costless implementation.