M23 - Enhancing Student Confidence and Retention through Game-Based Modules in Bioengineering Signal and Systems Courses

Introduction: : As class sizes get larger and larger, as instructors we are stuck with dwindling time to connect and personalize the teaching experience for students[1], [2]. Making the material more memorable, more engaging and more active requires us to expand our repertoire as educators. To this end, I enumerate some different game-based learning techniques as well as the student responses to them. I also disclose the changes in their comfort with the material as I used the different game modules in their courses to show changes in their understanding. As the goal for this implementation is to see positive improvements in their confidence which we hope translates to retention, we quantify their expertise throughout their course and see if these activities and different media such as video walkthroughs, game based learning activities, and other methodologies are helpful for the students in learning complex signals and system concepts, but more broadly, if they can help students feel more confident about the material.

Materials and

Methods: : Developing games is difficult to do while maintaining the conceit of the learning objective[3], [4], [5], [6]. In this study, we developed game based learning modules closely tied to the concepts being tested. The reasoning was that games that were based in word puzzles or mathematical games were too separated from the ideas being tested and resulted in distracting from the main learning goals. As such, we were able to construct games using MATLAB software as well as graphical software to have multiple methods to display information in manners that can make the information more accessible. One of these modules include using MATLAB to analyze songs which each student could choose themselves, allowing them some ownership and customization of the material, and let them analyze the Fourier frequencies and harmonics within the signal, as well as understand how this tied to frequency graphically, auditorily, and visually. As such students, enjoyed the material and felt more connected to the concepts as evidenced by surveys conducted after the classes.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: Students show increased confidence in material the more resources that are granted to them. In addition, students commented that the game-based learning activities are memorable and help make the material less intimidating, which is the point of the exercise. Some students have even commented that they enjoyed the course more because of the game based exercised, showing renewed engagement and interest in the material despite the greater than 100 person class size. Future iterations of this assessment will allow students to help quantify belonging and personal growth in a more direct manner, but currently, we use total confidence to mark how much they are sure they are learning. As we increased the complexity of the concepts, students responded positively to more and more opportunities to practice the material as well as the games associated with the concepts being tested.

Acknowledgements and/or References (Optional):: [1] T. M. Clark, R. Ricciardo, and D. A. Turner, “Distributed Active Learning (DAL): An Approach to Reduce Class Size in Large Enrollment Courses,” J. Chem. Educ., vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 1974–1982, May 2024, doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00108.
[2] B. L. Wiggins, S. L. Eddy, L. Wener-Fligner, K. Freisem, and D. Z. Grunspan, “ASPECT: A Survey to Assess Student Perspective of Engagement in an Active-Learning Classroom,” CBE—Life Sci. Educ., vol. 16, no. 2, 2017, doi: 10.1187/cbe.16-08-0244.
[3] M. Laskowski and M. Borys, “the Student, the Professor and the Player: Usage for Gamification and Serious Games in Academic Education – a Survey,” EDULEARN16 Proc., vol. 1, no. July 2017, pp. 2933–2941, 2016, doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2016.1645.
[4] J. Hamari and T. Nousiainen, “Why do teachers use game-based learning technologies? The role of individual and institutional ICT readiness,” Proc. Annu. Hawaii Int. Conf. Syst. Sci., vol. 2015-March, pp. 682–691, 2015, doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2015.88.
[5] J. A. LaPaglia, “Escape the Evil Professor! Escape Room Review Activity,” Teach. Psychol., vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 141–146, 2020, doi: 10.1177/0098628320901383.
[6] M. M. Smith and R. G. Davis, “Can You Escape? The Pharmacology Review Virtual Escape Room,” Simul. Gaming, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 79–87, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1177/1046878120966363.