Active learning in the classroom: a muscle identification game in a kinesiology course.
It is often difficult for educators to teach a kinesiology and applied anatomy (KAA) course due to the vast amount of information that students are required to learn. In this study, a convenient sample of students (class A) from one section of a KAA course played the speed muscle introduction and matching game, which is loosely based off the premise of the adult game of "speed dating." The game involves student's taking on a "muscle" personality when introducing themselves to potential mates. The experimental group (class A) played the game at two time points throughout the semester after a series of lectures focusing on the body's muscles. A control group (class B) from another section of the KAA course still received the series of lectures but did not play the games throughout the semester. A postgame questionnaire given to class A revealed the following scores: 1) overall perception of the game (score: 4.43 +/- 0.68), whether goals and objectives were met (score: 4.05 +/- 0.67 to 4.95 +/- 0.22), and perceptions of the organization of the game (score: 3.81 +/- 0.81 to 4.48 +/- 0.60). Overall, the game was well received by class A. When evaluating outcome scores of final grades between the two groups, class A improved final grades by 5.82% for a mean grade of 79.52 +/- 10.0; however, the final grades were not statistically significant (P > 0.05) compared with class B (73.7 +/- 15.6). The results show that an interactive game may contribute to improved final grades in a KAA course and could be an alternative means of disseminating kinesiology information.
McCarroll
Michele L
ML
Departments of Human Performance and Exercise Science, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH 44555-0001, USA. mlmccarroll@ysu.edu
Pohle-Krauza
Rachael J
RJ
Martin
Jennifer L
JL
D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D018953:Kinesiology, Applied / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D013336:Students, Health Occupations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult