For any regularly scheduled series (RSS) to thrive, it's essential to cultivate a dynamic learning community and foster meaningful engagement. The Weitzman Institute (WI) offers a range of RSS formats, including learning collaboratives, grand rounds, and Project ECHO programs. A core principle of Project ECHO, in particular, is its “all teach, all learn” approach, where faculty and participants form a trusting, reciprocal partnership. Together, they build knowledge over time through didactic presentations and the collaborative review of real patient cases.
Despite the benefits of engaging with ECHO content, many learners hesitate to present cases, pose questions to faculty, or contribute recommendations to their peers. To enhance engagement, WI has introduced gamification strategies into its ECHO programs—approaches that can be adapted to enhance engagement across any RSS formats. Gamification—the integration of game-like elements into education—may increase learner motivation and engagement in adult learning (Zainudden, et al., 2024) (Riedmann, et al., 2024) (Karra, et al., 2019).
Gamification techniques–such as offering rewards or incentives for participation, using leaderboards to showcase top contributors, and issuing digital badges to mark achievements–are tools that increase extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to engage with content (Belhassen & Hogle, 2020). This presentation will explore strategies for integrating gamification tools into RSS programs by demystifying the gamification trend and offering concrete examples that participants can apply within their own programs.
One key requirement of gamification is to ensure learners have opportunities to engage during the session. WI collaborates with faculty to integrate interactive elements into their presentations, actively identifying opportunities where engagement can be enhanced, such as posing interactive questions to learners. During case presentations, facilitators encourage learners to ask questions and share their expertise, fostering a learning community that provides the case presenter with valuable feedback. These engagement opportunities are then gamified into points that are tracked and shared with participants via a “leaderboard.”
The presentation will lastly examine gamification’s impact on learner participation. Early findings suggest that these strategies are positively impacting participant involvement, as reflected in attendance trends and post-session surveys. Qualitative data from these surveys indicate that learners consistently highlighted the value of interactive elements including discussions, peer knowledge-sharing, and faculty engagement. When asked about opportunities to engage and ask questions, the majority of respondents indicated that the number of opportunities were "just right." This quantitative data suggests a high level of satisfaction with the interactive structure of the sessions. Additionally, survey data will be presented that measures how gamification and opportunities to interact influence participation.
Learning Objectives:
Integrate gamification strategies into a regularly scheduled series.
Collaborate with faculty members to design and implement effective engagement strategies that align with their didactic objectives.
Describe how gamification strategies influence participation and satisfaction with regularly scheduled series.
