An interventional study of Gamification-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning and Conventional didactic lecture (usual practice) in Gamification and Nursing Education, sponsored by The University of Hong Kong. Recruiting at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-15.
Sponsored by The University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the effects of "Gamification-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning" and a lecturing approach on critical thinking disposition, metacognitive awareness and clinical competence among nursing students of enrolled nurse in higher diploma education in Hong Kong. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Participants will receive five sessions of "Gamification-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning" for five weeks.
A "Gamification-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning" will be provided to the nursing students in a face-to-face format in a local nursing school over five weeks. The duration of each session is 90 mins. The program will take place outside regular class teaching hours and does not contribute to any academic grade points.
The problem-based learning was gamified by designing five levels of authentic clinical cases with increasing difficulties were developed for the program to reflect the clinical situations in real life. Pre-reading materials, which are relevant to the clinical cases, will be given to the participants through an online learning platform one week before each session to support students' learning. The participants, randomly allocated in a group of 4-6 individuals, will work collaboratively to solve the clinical case presented. The process of problem-based learning will be facilitated by a nurse educator. Participants will be allowed to use digital devices e.g. iPad for online resources. Within the one-hour time limit, participants have to put their thinking into action through role-play in the nursing laboratory. The participants will randomly pick their roles e.g. patient's daughter, nurse-in-charge, wound care nurse, observer etc. A patient simulator will be act as a patient to ensure consistency for each group. Relevant medical equipment will be provided to further enhance the immersive experiences. A 20 mins debriefing session will be conducted to consolidate their learning and provide feedback. After completion of a case, a digital badge will be issued to the participants through the online learning platform.
The time used to solve each case will be recorded and converted into score, displaying in leaderboard each week in the online learning platform. The fastest group will be the winner of the program and a certificate of champion will be issued. For those participants who completed all cases will also be awarded a certificate of completion.
The University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,262 studies on the registry; 340 are open to participants now.
Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Five weekly gamification-enhanced problem-based learning program
Other: Gamification-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning
Conventional teaching (didactic lectures) delivered by PowerPoint presentation
Other: Conventional didactic lecture (usual practice)
An educational intervention combines principles of problem-based learning (PBL) with game design elements including scores, leaderboards, digital badges, challenges, immersive experiences, feedback and rewards into problem-based learning.
A didactic teaching approach in which course content is delivered to nursing students primarily through PowerPoint presentation by lecturer.
Critical thinking disposition
The critical thinking disposition will be measured by The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). It is a 75-item scale tool with seven subscales: "Truth-seeking", "Open-mindedness", "Analyticity", "Systematicity", "Confidence in reasoning", "Inquisitiveness" and "Maturity of judgment".
Time frame: Baseline, immediate after the intervention at week 5, and one month after the completion of intervention at week 9
Metacognitive awareness
Metacognitive awareness will be measured by Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI). It is a 52-item Likert scale tool with two subscales: "knowledge of cognition" (17 items) and "regulation of cognition" (35 items).
Time frame: Baseline, immediate after the intervention at week 5, and one month after the completion of intervention at week 9
Clinical competence
The clinical competence will be measured by the Nurse Professional Competence Scale Short Form (NPC Scale-SF). It is a 35-item Likert scale tool with six subscales: "Nursing Care", "Value-based Nursing Care", "Medical and Technical Care", "Care Pedagogics", "Documentation and Administration of Nursing Care", and "Development, Leadership, and Organization of Nursing Care".
Time frame: Baseline, immediate after the intervention at week 5, and one month after the completion of intervention at week 9
Plan to share: No
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The University of Hong Kong