In content-heavy professional programs, where a single course can run 14 credit hours and lectures stretch two hours at a time, finding ways to sustain focus and energy is essential. Students move through the entire curriculum together as a cohort, spending full days in the classroom and preparing for high-stakes exams at the end of each unit.
The Physician Assistant program hosts what they call "family lunch," informal gatherings where faculty and students share short presentations on topics unrelated to school or work. The idea of introducing gamification into their courses grew out of one of these lunches when a faculty member presented on games to play with your family. What followed was an hour of playing together and a realization that games could mean something more in their program. Bringing games into the classroom felt like a natural next step.
As one instructor explained, "They need a break. All of our lectures are usually two hours long, so we need to stop to allow retention." They began incorporating games into what they call 'brain breaks.' During a two-hour lecture they pause for about 10 minutes and introduce a quick activity such as Catchphrase (a fast-paced word-guessing game where players give clues to get their team to guess a word or phrase before the time runs out) that reinforces course material. Only a few students participate at a time, which keeps transitions efficient and disruptions minimal.
Beyond these brief breaks, games also play a key role in exam preparation. Review sessions run about two hours and are structured to include games and traditional review questions or case discussions. Faculty previously relied on Jeopardy-style review, but over time both instructors and students got tired of it. Introducing a variety of game formats brought renewed energy while preserving the structure students value. Students appreciate this balance.
From simply looking at what they already had and asking how they could make it work, two approaches emerged. The first is a multi-station review rotation. Early feedback revealed that some students were reluctant to participate in front of the entire class. Moving through stations in small groups addressed this directly. Students rotate through different stations, each focused on a particular topic using different games. One station might use tic-tac-toe, where students earn their X or O by correctly answering questions. Another might use Hedbanz, with students wearing a medical eponym on their forehead and receiving hints from classmates until they can guess their eponym. Or Tapple, where students draw topic cards and list corresponding terms beginning with unique letters.
Another popular activity is a creative adaptation of the 1960s television show The Dating Game. This activity requires little preparation and no special materials. Students take on the role of a medical condition while the rest of the class asks questions about their "ideal date" in an attempt to identify the diagnosis.
Beyond lectures and review sessions, gamification also shapes the culture of the program as a whole. Students are sorted into houses when they first enter the program, each named after a significant figure in PA history. These houses function as guilds, earning points throughout the semester as students participate in games and activities across their courses. What has made this system particularly effective is that it creates investment beyond individual participation.
Even when a student is not the one playing, they are still cheering for their house, building camaraderie not just within a single cohort but across program years. This sense of friendly competition is intentional. As one instructor explained,
For instructors wondering whether gamification and game-based learning could work in their own courses, the barrier to entry may be lower than they think. This approach didn't begin with a grand plan. The PA faculty tried it, students responded, and they kept going. Their advice is straightforward. As one instructor put it, "Don't be afraid to try it. It's low prep. Start small. Use something in your game closet and adapt it." And most importantly, have fun. Students reflect your energy.
