Impact of crossword puzzles as an active learning methodology Aggarwal Meenakshi1,*, Soni Anshu2, Gupta Seema3, Vohra Hitant4 1Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India 2Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India 3Professor, Department of Anatomy, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India 4Professor & Head, Department of Anatomy, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India *Corresponding Author: Dr. Meenakshi Aggarwal, Associate Professor Department of Anatomy, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, College Campus, Near Dandi Swami Chowk, Ludhiana, Punjab, 141001, India, E-mail: meenakshigoel53@yahoo.com Contact : +91-9888552169
Online published on 19 December, 2023. Abstract Introduction Students of medical and paramedical sciences often perceive medical terminologies as a foreign language. They find it difficult to memorize, spell and recall, the words. Incorporation of active learning methods in adjunct to didactic lectures favors critical thinking, encourages students’ participation and helps in reinforcing the material acquired during lectures and also develops communication skills. Materials and Methods The study was conducted in the Department of anatomy after taking permission from Institutional Ethics Committee. The activity was performed on 225 students after the topics were taught in the class. Crossword puzzles were designed by the faculty and the content validity was ensured by linking the clues and answers to specific learning objectives. Students were divided into small groups and time given was 20 minutes. Student’s perception was noted through a prevalidated feedback questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. Results Most of the students enjoyed learning through recreation. 75% of the students were of the view that crossword puzzles should be incorporated in other subjects also, as it encourages active learning. Conclusions The active learning methodologies like crossword, jigsaw puzzle, evokes interest in the subject, motivates students and relieve the tedium of traditional teaching methods. In our study, we concluded, that crossword puzzles made learning fun as the students were interactive, and it also provided a nice change from typically dry nature of the subject, so it should be included in curriculum. Top Keywords Crossword puzzle, Anatomy, Learning methodology. Top |