Table 2 Themes and representative quotes

Both modules appreciated by students

 “more engaging than reading, forces students to engage with the material and make connections that may not be obvious to everyone based on reading alone” (standard module)

  “I like the interactive nature, much better for retaining information than a straight lecture video.” (gamified module)

  “It is a unique way of learning that we don't use everyday, so it's a nice break from traditional lectures, and effective due to its interactiveness.” (standard module)

  “This was a really nice alternative to a lecture or a video” (gamified module)

Game elements added value to gamified module, boosted enjoyment and engagement

  “I liked how interactive it was, and the cartoons showing my progress made it fun.”

  “I liked the little guy running to different parts of the lab. I thought the speech bubbles were cute too.”

  “I think the gamified aspect to it help it go by a little more quickly”

  “I liked how the questions were asked within a conte[x]t/story”