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Periopardy: The 21st Century
DEBRA L. FAWCETT, PHD, RN; CHRIE DODD, MSC
Nurse educators face many challenges when trying to meet the needs of a diverse set of learners with various levels of education, learning abilities, and skill sets.1 Todays student anticipates the use of technology in the learning process. Computer and video games are as relevant a cultural medium for students today as books, television, and film were for more mature learners.2
Todays students want materials presented through electronic sources and often complete those assignments before assignments that are not connected to the computer. One method to meet the expectation of technology in the classroom is to incorporate gaming into the lesson plan. When electronic gaming is introduced into a serious learning environment, students get excited and competitive and have an increased recall of the activity and the information tied to the activity.3
BACKGROUND
In February 1994, an AORN Journal article introduced Periopardy,4 a game patterned after the television game show Jeopardy. Periopardy was used as an introductory method for teaching peri-operative concepts. A basic outline and samples of the game and how it was set up were presented, as was a discussion on the engagement of the students and how the game helped them learn.
In the original version of Periopardy, physical game boards held the clues. As class size and the need for increased knowledge grew, the use of the physical board became cumbersome and lost its effectiveness.
New technology has replaced the use of physical boards, allowing Periopardy
to be presented to larger groups for maximum learning and engagement. This article describes how to use Periopardy as learning tool with the use of readily available technology and how to set up an electronic board for nursing students in the classroom or nurses in a facility.
GAME DEVELOPMENT
The first step in developing the game is to determine the type of material to be presented, the expected outcome of the game, and what students will accomplish by playing the game. After this is established, the learning categories can be developed. Periopardy uses five categories with five clues to be answered in each category. Clues are phrased as answers, so that students will answer in the form of a question (Table 1). In...