Video Games in Healthcare Education

 

Video Games

Tom Chatfield (2010) discusses the concepts of video games and relating them to real life experience, specifically progress. Video games are broken down into individual levels. These represent minute victories in order to accomplish a larger goal. A reward system helps build confidence. Video games also very social. Individuals are part of a community (Squire, 2011). Why not use them in the classroom? Video games can aid in collaboration, having a sense of community, building confidence, and of course having fun. Most fields can find a way to incorporate video games into the classroom for education purposes or even just for periodic brain breaks.

Extreme Event

Everyone has seen a movie with a natural disaster. Some of the more common ones involve floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes. What happens to the people who get hurt in those situations? Mass casualties flood the hospitals. Each healthcare worker is expected to pitch in and help out wherever is needed. Extreme Event, a video game, plays out a virtual mass casualty. Different community groups are affected and rely on short-term and long-term resources for survival (Cobb, 2008). Following the fun play, a debriefing session can be applied to discuss the very real possibilities of this happening. The discussion of everyone’s roles and different facility policies for mass casualties.

Re-Mission

Throughout ultrasound school, we learn of all the different pathologies within the abdomen and other body parts. Re-Mission takes players through the malignant process of these pathologies. It not only shows the pathological process but also the experience of the patient going through the malignant diagnosis. Re-Mission has been reviewed by medical staff to verify the realistic components of the video game (Cobb, 2008). Not only will this walk students through pathology, but it will also walk them through the experience their cancer patients will go through. They will get to experience empathy and appropriate reactions to patients. 

 

Cobb, J. (2008, April 18). Mission to learn: 26 learning games to change the world.Links to an external site. Mission to Learn. http://www.missiontolearn.com/2008/04/learning-games-for-change

Chatfield, T. (2010, July). 7 ways games reward the brainLinks to an external site. [Video]. https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain?language=en

Squire, K. (2011).Video games and learning: Teaching and participatory culture in the digital age. Teachers College Press

Mobile Devices

 

Mobile Devices

Having the ability to research and analyze data at our fingertips is made possible by mobile devices (Walden University, 2012). Well over half of American adults utilize wireless mobile devices. These include laptops and cell phones. The various uses of mobile devices have increased since 2009. More laptop and cell phone owners are using their devices for a wider range of capabilities than simply phone calls and text messages (Smith, 2010).

iPads

Many advantages unfold with the use of iPads in the classroom. The physical aspect of iPads is intriguing for students. iPads are light weight and smaller than computers (Drozdek et al., 2020). They can be easily stashed away in a backpack while leaving plenty of room for textbooks and other materials.

iPads allow interaction throughout the classroom between students and between students and instructors. They have the capabilities to connect to the internet and research as necessary. During lectures, student can write directly on their iPad to take notes on presentations. All of the class content and whatever notes the students add can be stored in one place for easy organization. Other benefits of iPads include capabilities of email, download files, research, cameras, save paper, etc. iPads have most capabilities of a cell phone which can be an advantage and a disadvantage. Instructors are not able to control the content or searches conducted (Drozdek et al., 2020).

Smart Phones

There is a controversy whether smart phone should be used in the classroom or not. Controversy or not, smart phones can be used to enhance learning in the classroom. Smart phones allow speedy research, immediate answers, ease of communication, and aid in collaboration (Salcines-Talledo, 2022).

Smartphone can positively impact academic performance. Students generally have a smart phone at their side and can efficiently pull them out for use. Personalized applications can be beneficial in the classroom. Most instructors do not give out their personal cell phone numbers to students for obvious reasons. Certain applications can be used for communication or collaboration purposes. Instead of banning cell phones, we can utilize them for education purposes. Many other applications such as social networking can be used to enhance learning (Wei et al., 2024).

Domjanic Drozdek, S., Feher Turkovic, L., Mojsovic Cuic, A., & Digula, O. (2020). The Role of the iPad Tablet in Higher Education Science Teaching. Pedagogical Research, 5(1).

Salcines-Talledo, I., González-Fernández, N., Díaz-Herrera, L., & Area-Moreira, M. (2022). Smartphones in Higher Education. A Longitudinal Qualitative Study. Comunicar: Media Education Research Journal, 30(72), 111–122.

Smith, A. (2010). New Internet & American Life Project: Mobile access 2010.Links to an external site. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/07/07/mobile-access-2010

Walden University, LLC. (2012c). Mobile learning. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

Wei, D., Guo, R., & Talib, M. B. A. (2024). Academic Use of Smartphones and Academic Performance in Higher Education: A Systematic Review. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(1), 68–83. https://doi.org/10.52152/kuey.v30i1.883

Social Networking Technologies

 

Social Networking Technologies

Social networking is a readily available tool instructors and students can incorporate into learning. Networking tools are generally thought of as social friendship-based tools. They can be used for so much more than sharing media. It helps people stay connected but can also accommodate people with similar interests. Social networking can help form a sense of community and encourage peer-based learning. Networking with others is an important and beneficial learning strategy (Fink, 2013).

Ning & Facebook

Several sites already exist to enable interaction among student, instructors, peers, and individuals with similar interests. Ning is similar to the infamous Facebook. Ning is also a rapidly growing social media platform. Within education, we first have to move past the friendship-based connections. Facebook tends to be more relationship based while Ning has been utilized to accommodate the learning aspect of social networking. Many opportunities are waiting beyond the surface (Richardson, 2010). Allowing students to socialize outside of the classroom may give them the confidence to express themselves in a different manner (Sanwal et al., 2023)

Both platforms allow groups to form and control the content within those groups. Creating groups with guidelines or rules can help control what is posted in the groups. It will keep the content centered around a specific topic or learning objective. If this is done in the classroom, the instructor can be the “admin” of the group. The content within the group can be made so only group members can access it.

While the purpose of these sites is to connect with students, it should be cautioned to “friend” students to your personal accounts (Richardson, 2010). A separate account should be created to accommodate instruction and a separate personal account. While social networking is beneficially in collaborating to learn through other’s perspectives, face-to-face interactions are still essential for communication (Sanwal et al., 2023). Students still need to develop communication skills on a personal level.

 References

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses, Revised and Updated (2nd ed.). Wiley Professional Development (P&T). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781118419014

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Corwin Press

Sanwal, T., Yadav, S., Avasthi, S., Prakash, A., & Tyagi, M. (2023). Social Media and Networking Applications in the Education Sector. 2023 2nd Edition of IEEE Delhi Section Flagship Conference (DELCON), Delhi Section Flagship Conference (DELCON), 2023 2nd Edition of IEEE, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/DELCON57910.2023.10127547

Multimedia Resources

 

Education is pushing the “out with the old, in with the new” method of teaching in recent years. Technology has evolved to open up methods of instruction. Multimedia is at the forefront of the education system. Instructors are challenged to integrate various methods of technology or media into their classroom. Multimedia teaching and learning includes delivering content with multiple methods including visual or auditory information (Thamarasseri, 2014). Technology has the ability to enhance teaching for the instructor and enhance learning for the students.

Podcasts

Podcasting is a multimedia audio platform. Podcasts are easy to access and can be found all over the internet. Cost free platforms are available to utilize in the classroom. Podcasts can be created individually or with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). PowerPoint presentations can be converted to podcasts via AI (Folgert & DeGroot, 2025). This can save time for instructors while also allowing students a break from traditional lecture formats.

Students will be will have the ability to express themselves without the fear or anxiety of presenting live. Podcasts can help student gain confidence before having to present in front of a large group. It can also be used as a communication tool and get students comfortable applying terminology in their specific field of study.

Social Networks

Social media platforms are not only used for sharing pictures or meeting friends, it is now also used for seeking answers. Groups are formed with communities with common interests. Social networking can be used to connect with others in their field of study. When in these spaces, student can also play the role of a teacher when answering other’s questions within these platforms (Richardson, 2010).

With the number of nontraditional students increasing, social media platforms can be used to create community in the classroom. Students can get to know one another’s backgrounds and history. It can shed light on different cultures, social issues, and issues within education (Vu & Weerasinghe, 2024).

Social media can be integrated in the classroom or assignments without actually creating social media accounts. The concept of social media can be referenced for assignments. Most traditional student will recognize the most up to date platforms. Multimedia methods can be used without even integrated technology. Students would need to research different social media platforms. Content can be used to create a profile from any social media platform of the students choosing. This encourages creativity while indirectly using technology.

Folgert, A., & DeGroot, K. (2025). Using AI-Generated Podcasts as an Adjunct to Traditional Teaching Strategies. Nurse Educator, 50(2), 78. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001787

Lim, K. Y. (2024). A Review of “Next level grammar for a digital age: Teaching with social media and online tools for rhetorical understanding and critical creation.” Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt28642

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Corwin Press

Thamarasseri, I. (2014). Edification of Multimedia Resources: Aligning Technology for Student Empowerment. Journal of Educational Technology, 11(3), 9–15

Vy Vu, & Nimali Weerasinghe. (2024). Social Media in English Learning and Teaching: A Duoethnography. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education, 15(2)