New Delhi: FocusGamesIndia.com is a unique suite of serious online educational games to support the teaching of the new competency-based BSc Nursing Curriculum. The first set of 23 games has been published. They are mapped to the new curriculum to support the first semester. More games will be published as new semesters begin.
The games allow students to work in teams and help them to develop the conscious competence they need to work effectively during placements and post-qualification. They improve the uptake and retention of knowledge, but most importantly, they develop the confidence students need to practise safely.
Dr Vinay Kumari, Principal, Chitkara University College of Nursing, commented, “In the world of digitalisation, where students are highly tech-friendly, it is imperative to design digitalised educational experiences to keep the learners’ attention focussed and aligned towards learning. The digital educational games keep the learners engaged and motivated to learn in an interesting and safe virtual space.”
The games are developed in collaboration with leading nursing professors from prestigious nursing colleges in India, including:
- M S Ramaiah Institute of Nursing Education & Research, Bangalore
- Chitkara University College of Nursing, Himachal Pradesh
- Aligarh Muslim University College of Nursing, Aligarh
- Adaffinity College of Nursing, Bangalore
- Gokulam Nursing College, Thiruvananthapuram
- Thiruvananthapuram’s Dr Somervell Memorial CSI College of Nursing
Game-based Learning (GBL) is an effective pedagogical tool for connecting new generations of learners and equipping them with 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and leadership. Research studies have validated the benefits of using serious games in education. Games are perfect resources for in-class group work, revision, and assessment. They are fun with a serious purpose and clear educational outcomes.
The undergraduate nursing curriculum in India is shifting to a competency-based curriculum from 2022. The clinical skills emphasis in the curriculum would make the programme even more attractive to students as global nurse recruiting organisations would increasingly recruit nurses trained in the new curriculum. The growing private healthcare and public healthcare systems in India also provide great opportunities for skilled nurse graduates to find employment within India. Games will effectively assist students in India in developing employability skills, which hospitals and health systems are eager to find.
Dr Sheeja C V, Principal, Aaffinity College of Nursing, Bangalore, commented that “Game-based Learning plays an important role in teaching by making students collaborate, communicate, interact, and work in teams. The games are very simple to manage, allowing the facilitator to concentrate on encouraging and maintaining group discussions.”
