Chinese Pharmacy Undergraduate Attitudes toward Game-Based Learning in Pharmaceutical Education

Game-based learning (GBL) is a student-centered and active-learning method. But the implementing model of current GBL was not adequately consulted with students, who are the real subject and target of GBL. Thus we sought to evaluate Chinese pharmacy undergraduates' attitudes of GBL in pharmaceutical education, and the favorite implementation model of GBL to provide a more individualized and targeted teaching approach. A GBL questionnaire was administered to all the pharmacy undergraduates except graduating seniors at Wuhan University of Science and Technology. The results showed that attitudes of students towards GBL were positive. Male students generally had a more positive attitude toward GBL than females. Pharmacy students attached GBL importance to "improving the theoretical knowledge", "increasing self efficacy" and "enhancing awareness of the career in future". Among several barriers to GBL usage, "no suitable game type" was considered the most important. And the three most popular were role-play, singleplayer online games, and crossword puzzles. However, each of other game genres was preferred by at least 10.7% students, suggesting the pharmacy students' favorite game type is diversiform. Besides, most students reported that they were in favor of implementing GBL in normal class time or extracurricular activity. And the best organizer in the eye of the students is themselves. Nevertheless, the great majority of students had the herd mentality toward GBL, and wants to become the minor participants or audiences in the GBL. The results indicated that Chinese pharmacy undergraduates exhibited positive attitudes about GBL. And GBL with Chinese characteristic would be implemented.