Associate Professor and Department Chair of Neuroscience, Elizabeth Leininger, Ph.D., published a new article with co-author Cynthia Harley, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Metropolitan State University, in The HAPS Educator, the Journal of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society. Their paper “Introducing “Homeostasis: The Game” – A Game-Based Activity for Teaching Homeostasis and the Endocrine System,” introduces a creative, interactive way to help students understand homeostasis.
The game follows the fictional “Mr. Bill”, who is prone to making questionable decisions. When Bill’s internal conditions become dysregulated, players must coordinate Bill’s nervous and endocrine systems using playing cards to keep his body processes in homeostasis, thus keeping Bill alive. The playing cards often affect more than just one physiological function, and as students play, they learn how different systems in the body interact to regulate the body’s internal state.
Harley was motivated to create this game out of frustration with modeling the endocrine system in labs. “Homeostasis is integral to physiology and thus it is important that students understand it well,” she explained. “The game seemed to be a way to overcome shortfalls of traditional labs and to help my students understand the complex topic of homeostasis.” Indeed, a major goal of the game is to address several common misconceptions about homeostasis, such as misconceptions about negative feedback loops and about the roles and interactions between hormones. Additionally, the game provides students with opportunities for teamwork and collaboration.
Leininger assisted Harley in collecting assessment data for the game; in each of their courses, they found that playing The Homeostasis game improved students' self-reported confidence in their understanding of homeostasis and the endocrine system. “Student attitude and engagement are one important aspect of understanding the impact of a learning experience”, said Leininger. “Our next project is to continue analyzing the data we have collected on how students’ knowledge of homeostasis changes as a result of playing the game”.
The game was designed for academic settings, but anyone can get something out of it. Harley views it as a form of body literacy, helping players better understand their own physiology to advocate for their health. She sees many opportunities for expansion of the game. “Students could be asked to map a specific hormone into the gameplay or a specific scenario. Really, I think the only limit is creativity.” In the future, she plans to get the game on store shelves, and her next target is a game about the immune system.
