Designing an African-context game to entice physiotherapy students to study child developmental milestones

Teaching child developmental milestones in undergraduate physiotherapy can be challenging due to the high volume of factual content, which students often find difficult to master. Furthermore, higher education institutions are expected to promote self-directed learning among students. This dual challenge requires innovative methods of teaching and learning to ensure student success.

A narrative-based digital game, called ‘Kidnapped’, was developed using a design-thinking approach. This game was developed in response to the need for interactive, accessible content delivery and to foster self-directed learning among students. The game was intentionally designed to incorporate the principles of learning scaffolding and reinforced learning through repetition, ensuring its educational relevance and alignment with student learning needs. The game was piloted with academic staff to ensure implementation feasibility.

A cross-sectional, cross-over study will be conducted towards the end of 2025, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the game’s effectiveness. Findings will inform iterative improvements and guide broader implementation across health sciences programmes. Key lessons learned include the value of early stakeholder engagement, the importance of adaptable technology, and the potential of gamification to enhance active learning and learning autonomy in health professions education.