Chaotic fun! Promoting active recall of anatomical structures and relationships using the Catch‐Phrase game

Abstract

Active recall, the act of recalling knowledge from memory, and games-based learning, the use of games and game elements for learning, are well-established as effective strategies for learning gross anatomy. An activity that applies both principles is Catch-Phrase, a fast-paced word guessing game. In Anatomy Catch-Phrase, players must get their teammates to identify an anatomical term by describing its features, functions, or relationships without saying the term itself. Once a teammate guesses the term, players switch roles and continue play with the next term(s) until time runs out. Meanwhile, the instructor notes common errors and reviews knowledge gaps with the team at the end of the round. Prior to the first exam, a seven-question evaluation was distributed to the health professional students. A total of 18 dissection lab groups (86%) played one round of Anatomy Catch-Phrase, with many groups playing multiple times. After the first exam, 73 students (61%) completed the evaluation. On a five-point scale, most students indicated they enjoyed Anatomy Catch-Phrase (4.3 ± 0.9), highly recommended it (4.2 ± 0.9), and wanted to play it in the future (4.3 ± 1.0). Most students also found the game relevant to the course material (4.5 ± 0.8), useful for reviewing (3.9 ± 0.9), and helped reinforce their knowledge (3.9 ± 0.9). Anatomy Catch-Phrase was highly rated, with a score of 4.3 ± 0.9. Multiple students also provided enthusiastic unsolicited comments, such as 'LOVED IT! A fun way to study anatomy!:)'. Overall, Anatomy Catch-Phrase was well-received as a fun activity for reviewing the anatomy relevant to the course.