JBC Vol. 39, No. 2 2013 www.jbiocommunication.org E50 Exploring How the Incorporation of Video Game Design Elements Into An Online Thoracic Vasculature Study Aid Affects Use Patterns of Undergraduate Anatomy Students Andrea Gauthier and Michael Corrin This preliminary study investigates whether incorporating game design elements into an online anatomical study aid results in increased use by undergraduate students learning human vascular anatomy. Students exposed to the gamiied study aid participated in more usage sessions (p=0.046), attempted (p=0.001) and completed more tasks (p=0.004), and spent more time with their study aid (p=0.011). Further research should explore the holistic effect of these study aids on study habits as well as evaluate their educational effectiveness. Introduction Since the early 1960’s, educational researchers have shown that integrating game design into education can have a positive impact on students’ interest and engagement in school and studying (Randel et al. 1992). Engagement in an educational game activates dopamine reward pathways in the brain and, as a result, students are more likely to take on more dificult subject matter during game-play than during regular academic work (Howard- Jones and Demetriou 2009). In many cases, introducing games into a curriculum has enhanced learner engagement throughout the academic term, leading to more frequent studying and better exam performance (Charsky and Ressler 2011; Kanthan and Senger 2011; Massey and Brown 2005; McCarroll et al. 2009; Wirth and Breiner 1997). Speciically, video games in education cater to the current generation of individuals who, on average, spend 10,000 hours playing video games by the age of 21 (McGonigal 2011). Gamiication is the process of integrating game design elements into an educational or training program to support the learning experience (Landers and Callan 2011). This may include the integration of a storyline, achievements, rules and penalties, scoring systems, and leaderboards (Westwood and Grifiths 2010; Charsky 2010). If integrated into a curriculum-based study aid, these commercial game elements have the potential to increase the frequency with which students participate in lengthy, meaningful and intellectual study as opposed to a study aid without these elements. The study of anatomy involves the acquisition of knowledge by rote. Vascular anatomy can be particularly challenging because of diverse branching patterns, anastomoses, vessel supply, and spatial relationships between structures. In anatomy education, current methods of studying include the review of lecture notes and textbooks, prosections, plastinations, and dissection (Żurada et al. 2011). In the past, traditional and digital games have been used as supplementary resources to aid in factual knowledge retention and engagement in anatomy classrooms. The game Speed-Muscle, for example, which is based on the concept of speed dating, was implemented in an undergraduate kinesiology course where students took on the personality of a given muscle and had to ind its perfect match, the antagonist to its action (McCarroll et al. 2009). Along with inal grade improvement, the game was shown to encourage participation, and establish an active learning environment. Corpus Morphus, a multiple-choice anatomy board game, resulted in increased mean test scores and a positive reception by its users by instilling competition in a social study session (McIntire 1995). The games Path to Success and The Path is Right were created as curriculum-speciic online games for the University of Saskatchewan’s undergraduate pathology course (Kanthan and Senger 2011). These games were shown to improve academic performance, increase engagement and reduce stress. These studies have demonstrated that integrating games into human anatomy curriculum as supplementary resources can greatly enhance interest, enjoyment, and engagement, but there is little evidence that shows whether or not game design encourages study-aid use outside the classroom (Garris et al. 2002; Wilson et al. 2009). This preliminary study investigates whether the incorporation of game design elements into an online human vascular anatomy study aid results in increased use by undergraduate anatomy students. We hypothesize that students exposed to the gamiied study aid will engage in study aid use more frequently and for longer periods than students exposed to a similar study aid without game design elements. Methods We created a curriculum-speciic digital study aid intended to complement traditional resources used in studying. Using a drill and practice instructional methodology, the study aid quizzes