Designing Mnemonics Serious Games to Promote Knowledge Retention in Memory-Intensive Courses

Abstract

The increased difficulty of memory-intensive courses due to many factors necessitates using technological tools to promote retrieval practice and long-term learning. Hence, a mnemonics game, based on the RADAR framework proposed by Oyibo, was implemented to foster knowledge retention. Fifty-two students, comprising an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 22), were recruited to undertake a study, which involved watching a 10-minute Biology lecture on Biology Organization, Cranial Nerves, and Krebs Cycle and taking repeated tests immediately after a 45-minute preparation, one-week gap pre- and post-15-minute revision. In all three tests, students who used the RADAR game performed better in recall than those who did not. Coupled with the study participants stating they found the game easy to use, enjoyable, useful, and trustworthy, and their willingness to adopt it, the experimental group’s better performance highlights the need to incorporate mnemonics-based games in memory-intensive courses to promote long-term learning.