Cranial Chaos: An Interactive and Practical Overview of Cranial Nerve Functions

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Cranial Chaos: An Interactive and Practical Overview of Cranial Nerve Functions
Language: English
Authors: Shannon M. Knutson, Doreen M. Olvet, Vanessa M. Reddin, Rosemary B. Bassey-Linus (ORCID 0000-0001-9105-6912)
Source: Anatomical Sciences Education. 2026 19(6):1008-1014.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 7
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Brain, Cognitive Processes, Neurology, Anatomy, Medical Education, Medical Students, Educational Games, Learner Engagement, Usability, Instructional Effectiveness, Interaction, Instructional Innovation, Teaching Methods, Vignettes, Student Attitudes
DOI: 10.1002/ase.70153
ISSN: 1935-9772
1935-9780
Abstract: The pressures from a rapidly evolving technological era have brought about a widespread attention crisis in academia; hence, more non-traditional approaches like game-based pedagogies in medical education have become imperative to increase students' engagement. The Cranial chaos card game was part of an integrated laboratory session on Neuroanatomy structure for first-year medical students, introduced in 2022 and repeated in 2023 to review the sensory, motor, and autonomic functions of the cranial nerves. The students completed an anonymous electronic end-of-course evaluation to assess the ease of use, interactivity, and effectiveness of the cranial nerve game in enhancing their understanding of cranial nerve functions. A total of 202 first-year medical students participated in this study. 90.2% of the 184 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the cranial nerve card game was easy to use, 91.8% agreed or strongly agreed that the cranial nerve card game was interactive, and 78.3% agreed or strongly agreed that the cranial nerve card game facilitated a more practical understanding of cranial nerve functions. Cranial chaos is an innovative, simple, and inexpensive teaching tool for reviewing cranial nerve functions using real-life scenarios.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1507841
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The pressures from a rapidly evolving technological era have brought about a widespread attention crisis in academia; hence, more non-traditional approaches like game-based pedagogies in medical education have become imperative to increase students' engagement. The Cranial chaos card game was part of an integrated laboratory session on Neuroanatomy structure for first-year medical students, introduced in 2022 and repeated in 2023 to review the sensory, motor, and autonomic functions of the cranial nerves. The students completed an anonymous electronic end-of-course evaluation to assess the ease of use, interactivity, and effectiveness of the cranial nerve game in enhancing their understanding of cranial nerve functions. A total of 202 first-year medical students participated in this study. 90.2% of the 184 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the cranial nerve card game was easy to use, 91.8% agreed or strongly agreed that the cranial nerve card game was interactive, and 78.3% agreed or strongly agreed that the cranial nerve card game facilitated a more practical understanding of cranial nerve functions. Cranial chaos is an innovative, simple, and inexpensive teaching tool for reviewing cranial nerve functions using real-life scenarios.
ISSN:1935-9772
1935-9780
DOI:10.1002/ase.70153