Development of a mobile application to increase motivation, engagement & teaching activity of clinical faculty using gamification principles

Background: Clinician teachers (CT) have historically felt undervalued and underappreciated. One technology used to increase motivation is gamification: the process of inserting elements of game-playing into activities that are not usually associated with games. We developed a mobile application that rewards CTs using in-app gamification techniques to increase CTs motivation. This program was implemented specifically in a regional campus setting, Mississauga, Ontario. Methods: A cross-platform application that rewards physicians for their clinical teaching hours was created. This consisted of a star grading criteria where each physician was awarded depending on the number of hours completed. End-user perceptions of the application were evaluated using a survey with a Likert scale and open-ended questions. Survey results were collated with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: The TutorTracker application was developed implementing a live gamification algorithm. It allows physicians to view their hours completed, rewards obtained, and add additional hours. The majority of CTs agreed or strongly agreed that the application was user-friendly, easy to navigate and enjoyed the rewards provided. Major themes that emerged were regarding additional features and full integration of such an application for rewarding teaching efforts. Conclusions: Gamification principles have been implemented in a cross-platform application allowing CTs to be rewarded for their teaching. The next steps would be to formally quantify the effects and advantages of using the application to increase the motivation of tutors.