Enhancing learning gains through gamification and collaborative learning strategies.

Introduction: Gamification and collaborative learning are key pedagogical strategies that foster student interaction, academic productivity, and motivation. Understanding the biochemical intricacies of cellular metabolism is a challenging endeavor, and the use of metabolic maps makes this task more accessible through these approaches. In this study, we integrated gamification as a teaching strategy to encourage student engagement within a collaborative learning framework while constructing a metabolic map. Our goal was to determine whether this combination was associated with measurable learning gains. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group and pretest-posttest measurements, using a convenience sample of students from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus. Each student first created an individual hand-drawn metabolic map. At the end of the course, they worked together to produce a collaborative map that incorporated gamification and collaborative learning elements. Participants completed questionnaires assessing normalized learning gains and situational motivation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Students reported that both individual and group maps offered distinct learning benefits. They particularly noted that the collaborative process deepened their analysis of metabolic pathways. The integration of gamification and collaborative learning was associated with significant improvements in normalized learning gains, intrinsic motivation, identified extrinsic regulation, and the self-determination index. Furthermore, the magnitude of normalized learning gains was positively correlated with intrinsic motivation, identified extrinsic regulation, and the self-determination index. Conclusion: In summary, the results of this study suggest that implementing gamification and collaborative learning environments is associated with increases in intrinsic motivation, identified extrinsic motivation, and the self-determination index, which in turn correlate with improved learning gains. These findings indicate that such strategies may effectively strengthen educational programs and boost academic performance, although further research with more rigorous designs is warranted to establish causal relationships.