Gamifying Medical Ethics and Law Education: Enhancing Student Engagement, Knowledge Retention, And Motivation through Charades

Abstract

Medical ethics and law are fundamental in healthcare education, equipping future physicians with the knowledge to navigate ethical dilemmas and legal responsibilities. However, students often struggle to retain abstract ethical and legal concepts due to a lack of engagement and meaningful reinforcement. Traditional flipped classroom approaches, while effective for active learning, have shown limitations in sustaining motivation and deep learning. This study introduces an innovative gamified charades activity to enhance engagement and retention in medical ethics education. The intervention involved over 200 medical students, divided into groups, using a charades-based game to reinforce key concepts related to brain death and organ donation. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), the game was designed to increase autonomy, competence, and relatedness while reducing cognitive overload. Students had to act out and guess key ethical and legal terms, followed by discussion prompts reinforcing understanding. Evaluation through open-ended feedback identified three main themes: (1) Increased engagement, as students described the activity as fun and interactive; (2) Improved knowledge retention, with many reporting enhanced recall of definitions and principles; and (3) Challenges in preparation and time constraints, indicating areas for refinement. This study highlights gamification’s potential in medical education, particularly for abstract subjects like ethics and law. Despite its benefits, ensuring student preparation, refining session timing, and balancing engagement with depth remain key areas for improvement. This innovation serves as a scalable, adaptable strategy for increasing student motivation and reinforcing complex ethical and legal concepts in medical training.