title: Fun, collaboration and formative assessment: skinquizition, a class wide gaming competition in a medical school with a large class.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Formative assessments are tools for assessing content retention, providing valuable feedback to students and teachers. In medical education, information technology-supported games can accommodate large classes divided into student teams while fostering active engagement.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish an innovative stimulating approach to formative assessments for large classes furthering collaborative skills that promotes learning and student engagement linked to improvement of academic performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using audience response technology, a fast-paced, competitive, interactive quiz game involving dermatology was developed. This stimulating setting, provided on the last day of class, prepares students for high-stakes exams to continue their medical education while training collaborative skills as supported by survey outcomes and average class scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational game competitions provide formative assessments and feedback for students and faculty alike, enhancing learning and teaching processes. In this study, we show an innovative approach to accommodate a large class divided into competing teams furthering collaborative skills reflected by academic performance.
authors.affiliation: Ross University School of Medicine , Dominica.
authors.forename: Elisabeth F M
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Schlegel
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Selfridge
mesh_terms: D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D018910:Video Games; D014900:West Indies