2020 Volume 4 Article ID: 2020-018
Chemical-structure formula cards using gamification elements in the form of “Karuta” were used as an integrated learning tool for pharmaceutical students to learn the structural features, properties, and pharmacological effects of drugs. An inter-laboratory “Karuta” tournament for the 4th and 5th-year undergraduate students provided the opportunity to investigate the learning effects of this method. The competition was planned with pre-learning and followed by a questionnaire. The result of a principal component analysis of the questionnaire indicated that the first principal component corresponded to impressions of “Karuta” and the tournament. The second principal component corresponded to the students’ motivation to participate and prepare for the tournament. The 5th-year students received the tournament favorably, whereas the 4th-year students felt the preparation was carried out well, but were left with a poor impression of “Karuta”. The increased interest in the integrated learning for the 5th-year students might be due to the practical training for pharmacology. Moreover, the students with bad impression to “Karuta” had weak senses for competition.