{"id":129621,"date":"2022-07-25T12:29:54","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T16:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=129621"},"modified":"2022-07-25T14:24:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T18:24:05","slug":"ucf-faculty-combines-harry-potter-with-pharmacology-course-to-improve-student-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-faculty-combines-harry-potter-with-pharmacology-course-to-improve-student-outcomes\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Faculty Combines Harry Potter with Pharmacology Course to Improve Student Outcomes"},"content":{"rendered":"

When health sciences lecturer Martha Garcia-Stout designed her online Introduction to Pharmacology<\/em><\/a> course (HSC 3147), she wanted to make the \u201cvery traditional and kind of dry\u201d course interesting and engaging for students. So, about three years ago she worked with the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL)<\/a> to conjure up a solution \u2014 infusing her and students\u2019 love of the Harry Potter series into her course. It was a natural fit between the two topics. She recently upped her game by adding elements of gamification into her class and the results are proving that students have also leveled up.<\/p>\n

Incorporating interactive games in the course has proven to enhance academic success; the number of students who earned an \u201cA\u201d in the class improved by almost 200% in the past three years, and there has been a 73% decline in the number of non-pass students (students who earn a \u201cD\u201d or an \u201cF\u201d in the class).<\/p>\n

Working with Ashley Salter, an instructional designer for CDL, she integrated thematic gaming around Harry Potter references to engage students. For example, case studies feature characters \u2014 which were designed by Joseph Fauvel, team lead for CDL’s Graphics Team \u2014  inspired by Harry Potter. Students navigate pharmacology questions posed in a particular character-patient case and they recommend an appropriate resolution for the patient while avoiding “dead ends” in the patient’s care. The game calculates the percentage of questions answered correctly and how far into the adventure the student ventured before either completing the game or hitting a dead end.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Harry Potter theme, which students love, is incorporated into all elements of the course right down to the artistic bitmojis of famous Harry Potter characters afflicted with diseases and conditions suited to their character,\u201d says Gail Kauwell, director of the Department of Health Sciences. \u201cThese characters serve as the basis for the clever case study gamification approach that students find to be creative, interactive, engaging and fun.”<\/p>\n