Instructor Toolkit

---

Games

The following GBR activities were implemented throughout my improvement science project to promote active engagement, repetetitive engagement, collaboration, and knowledge reinforcement. Although each game differs in format, they share a common purpose: creating meaningful opportunities for students to actively retrieve and apply course concepts in an engaging learning environment.

This resource library provides an overview of each activity—including Jeopardy, 2 Truths & 1 Lie, OB Pong, Connections, Escape Room, Tarsia Puzzle, and Heads Up!—along with suggestions for implementation and the learning theories they support. These adaptable activities can be modified for a variety of disciplines, class sizes, and instructional goals, making them practical tools for educators seeking to enhance student engagement and learning through game-based review.

---

Platforms for Game-Use

The games included in this toolkit can be implemented using a variety of free or low-cost digital platforms. Recommended platforms include JeopardyLabs for Jeopardy-style review, the Heads Up! mobile app, Microsoft Word or Google Slides for Connections, Google Forms for digital escape rooms, Tarsia Software for puzzle creation, Mentimeter or Poll Everywhere for live polling activities, and Microsoft Word for creating OB Pong review games. These platforms are user-friendly, adaptable across disciplines, and require minimal technical expertise, making them practical options for incorporating game-based review into classroom instruction.

Game	Recommended Platform
Jeopardy	JeopardyLabs
2 Truths and 1 Lie	Padlet, Microsoft Word
Heads-Up	Phone App
Connections	Word, Google Slides
OB Escape Room	Google Forms
Tarsia Puzzle	Tarsia Software
Polling	Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere
OB Pong	Word

---

Jeopardy

Jeopardy is a team-based review game that reinforces course content through a series of questions organized by categories and point values. Students collaborate to answer questions, earning points for correct responses while reviewing key concepts in an engaging and competitive environment.

The game is highly adaptable and can be designed to assess multiple cognitive levels, from knowledge recall to application, analysis, and evaluation, depending on the complexity of the questions. Jeopardy promotes repetitive engagement, collaboration, active participation, and immediate feedback, making it an effective strategy for reinforcing learning and identifying areas that require additional review.

Helpful Hints:

• The JeopardyLabs website is a one-time fee of $20.
• When designing the game, choose 5 generalized topics you want to review.
• This is where I let AI (artificial intelligence) take on some of the work. Let an AI cite create the questions/answers for the game.
• This is an ‘easy-to-edit’ format.
• Once the game is complete, don’t forget to make it public so students can access it.

Below is an example of one dashboard game that I have used in my classroom:

(Aptibyte LLC, 2020)

---

2 Truths and 1 Lie

2 Truths & 1 Lie is an interactive review activity in which students evaluate three statements related to course content and identify the one incorrect statement. Students must analyze each statement, justify their reasoning, and discuss the evidence supporting their decision, promoting both individual thinking and collaborative learning.

Helpful Hints:

• This game can be either digital or non-digital. I use Padlet for the digital platform and create the non-digital version on Microsoft Word.
• I use the free version of Padlet which means I can only have 3 active Padlet boards at once. There is a paid version where more boards can stay active.
• This versatile game can be used to assess knowledge recall or adapted to challenge students at the application and evaluation levels of learning.
• AI is a great resource for creating the clues and also for adapting to the desired cognitive level of thinking.

Below is an example of one of the dashboards used on Padlet:

(Wallwisher, 2026)

A non-digital example is below:

---

Heads-Up!

Heads Up! is a fast-paced, team-based review activity that promotes active learning through verbal communication, immediate recall, and collaboration. One student holds a mobile device displaying a course-related term or concept while teammates provide clues to help the student correctly identify the answer within a set time limit. The activity encourages students to recall, explain, and apply course content without simply reading definitions.

(Telepictures Productions Incorporated, 2024)

Helpful Hints:

• This game can be played a variety of ways. The students can hold the phone and try to guess the clues. Or, the instructor can hold the phone and try to guess the student’s clues.
• I input between 60-70 clues for each ’round’ of the game.
• I have used this as a review game at the end of each course; however, I had a student suggest I use it throughout the course as it ‘makes me put the information in my own terms.’

*Note: I don’t have a sample of this game as it is played from my phone.

---

Connections

Connections is a collaborative word-association game in which students analyze a set of terms and identify groups of related concepts based on shared characteristics or underlying themes. Rather than relying on simple recall, the activity encourages learners to recognize patterns, compare and contrast concepts, and justify their reasoning as they work together to categorize information correctly.

Helpful Hints:

• Begin with questions that reinforce foundational knowledge while students learn the puzzle format.
• Once they are comfortable with the activity, increase the cognitive demand by incorporating application, analysis, and evaluation-level questions.
• Using AI is a great way to quickly develop these puzzles.

Below is an example of one Connections game played in class. The students receive a black and white version to solve. The colored-blocked example below displays the answers to the puzzle.

Blue: Ectopic Pregnancy; Purple: Molar Pregnancy; Peach: Placenta Previa; Green: Placental Abruption

---

OB Escape Room

An OB Escape Room is an interactive, team-based review activity in which students solve a series of obstetric-related challenges to progress through the game. Using clinical scenarios, NCLEX-style questions, case studies, or problem-solving tasks, students apply their knowledge to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and “unlock” the next stage of the activity.

Helpful Hints:

• This is the most time-consuming game that I created. However, it is worth it. Students always have positive responses and enjoy completing each section of the escape room.
• I divided my escape room into 3 sections to complete. Each section had a 6 digit key-code to figure out.
• The average time to complete the escape room was about 45 minutes.
• I incorporate skills that students must complete accurately to progress through each room.
• I use this as a course review prior to the final exam.

1st Section:

Students have to interpret the results and determine care for the following Antenatal Test: Biophysical Profile (BPP), Group B Streptococcus (GBS), Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT), Contraction Stress Test (CST), Bishop Scoring

2nd Section:

Students are laboring the patient safely to delivery by completing the following: Cervical Exam, Medication Math for Oxytocin, Titration of Oxytocin with Electronic Fetal Monitoring, Medication Math for Ampicillin, Final Cervical Exam

3rd Section:

Students get to care for the newborn by completing the following: APGAR scores, 24-hour tests, and LATCH score

---

Tarsia Puzzle

A Tarsia Puzzle is a collaborative matching activity in which students connect related questions and answers, terms and definitions, or concepts and clinical applications to assemble a completed puzzle. Students must accurately identify relationships among the pieces, requiring them to retrieve knowledge, analyze information, and verify that each connection is correct.

Helpful Hints:

• This is a free website and very user friendly.
• Type in the clues and the website creates the puzzle for you
• Be sure to keep the pieces for each puzzle separate. Before distributing the puzzles, highlight or color-code the outline of each set so students can easily identify which pieces belong to which game.

The below image shows a blank Tarsia puzzle with examples of how to write the clues/responses that will be matched.

(Mr. Barton Maths, 2026)

---

Polling

Polling activities use interactive audience response systems, such as Mentimeter, to engage students in real-time knowledge checks and class discussions. Students respond to multiple-choice, true/false, ranking, or word cloud using their own devices, allowing instructors to quickly assess understanding and identify areas that require further review.

Helpful Hints:

• I use the free account for Mentimeter.
• Make sure to hide the responses as the students are submitting them.
• Use AI for assistance in creating the scenarios.

Below is an example of a Mentimeter Poll completed in class.

(Mentimeter, 2026)

---

OB Pong

OB Pong is a team-based review activity that combines knowledge retrieval with a physical challenge to create an engaging learning experience. Teams take turns tossing a ping pong ball into a series of cups or targets. Each cup contains a clue or question related to the course content. If the team answers the question correctly, the cup is removed from play. The first team to eliminate all of its cups wins the game.

Alternatively, point values can be assigned to the bottom of each cup, allowing teams to earn the designated number of points for each correct response. The game continues until all cups have been cleared or a predetermined point total has been reached.

Below are examples of clues used while playing OB Pong. One student on each team has the answers to determine if the responses are correct. The clue on the left-side is placed in the cup.

---