Design and Evaluation of an Endocrine-Focused Serious Trading Card Game in Undergraduate Medical Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22043918 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harrison Howe (University of Idaho), Sebastian Sovobada-Powel (University of Idaho), Ciara Bordeaux (University of Idaho), Emma Ferguson (0009-0001-8758-9318, University of Idaho), Joscelyn Coad (University of Idaho), Tyler Bland (0000-0001-9574-8924, University of Idaho) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 269 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-09 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16020269 |
| OpenAlex | W7128396842 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
Medical education requires learners to integrate complex basic science knowledge with clinical reasoning, with endocrinology posing particular challenges due to nonlinear feedback and system-level interactions. Although serious games may enhance learning, many implementations are individual/solitary, and evidence for analog serious trading card games is limited. This study evaluated a mnemonic-driven Medimon Learning Card Game (LCG) designed to support systems-based endocrine education. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with first-year medical students during an endocrine course block. All students received identical instruction, while a subset participated in a guided, competitive Medimon LCG session. Achievement was assessed using a pretest and a delayed posttest administered two weeks after the intervention, along with course examination performance. Engagement was measured using the Situational Interest Survey for Multimedia (SIS-M) and open-ended responses. Students who participated in the Medimon LCG demonstrated significantly greater delayed learning gains than controls, while course examination performance did not differ between groups. SIS-M results indicated high levels of interest and perceived value, and qualitative findings highlighted affective engagement, cognitive reinforcement, and social interaction. These findings suggest that an analog serious trading card game can enhance engagement and support longer-term retention of complex endocrine concepts, offering a transferable framework for socially mediated game-based learning in medical education
Cognition · Educational game · Implementation · Qualitative research · Report card · Serious game · Situational ethics · Educational Games and Gamification · Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare · Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning
Cognitive Load Theory
Dual coding theory
Dual coding theory and education
Motivation to learn
Cognitive load theory, learning difficulty, and instructional design
Cognitive load theory in health professional education
Our Princess Is in Another Castle
Cognitive Load Theory
From game design elements to gamefulness
Game-based learning in medical education
An Educational Trading Card Game for a Medical Immunology Course
The effectiveness of intervention with board games
Effectiveness of mnemonics based teaching in medical education
Scientific Discovery Learning with Computer Simulations of Conceptual Domains
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning
Situated Learning
| Highly cited | No |
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