Interactive Ren'Py Learning in Physiotherapy Education

NCT07274839 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 03.07.2024/468499https://osf.io/38ntm
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Advances in health professions education increasingly emphasize the use of digital technologies to enhance student engagement and support diverse learning needs. In physiotherapy training, particularly in technically complex subjects like electrotherapy, conventional instruction may fall short in fostering active learning and knowledge retention. Game-based platforms such as Ren'Py offer an opportunity to integrate interactive, scenario-based learning into the curriculum. This study aimed to assess the impact of Ren'Py-based digital materials on learning outcomes by comparing conventional, digital, and hybrid teaching models in an undergraduate electrotherapy course.

Conditions

Student

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Theoretical Knowledge Examination Score

  A researcher-developed 20-item multiple-choice theoretical exam assessing students' knowledge of electrotherapy principles. Full Scale Name: Theoretical Knowledge Examination (20-item multiple-choice test) Score Range: 0 to 100 points Interpretation: Higher scores indicate better theoretical knowledge.

  Measured at 1-week follow-up after completion of the educational intervention.

• Practical Skills Examination Score

  A 16-item practical performance assessment evaluated by an independent three-member exam jury. Each item was rated as "Sufficient", "Partial", or "Insufficient", and final scores were calculated as the arithmetic mean of the three jury evaluations, scaled to a 0-100 range. Full Scale Name: Practical Skills Performance Assessment (16-item jury-rated evaluation) Score Range: 0 to 100 points Interpretation: Higher scores indicate better practical performance.

  Measured at 1-week follow-up after completion of the educational intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Cognitive Load Rating Score

  Measured at 1-week follow-up after completion of the educational intervention.

• Instructional Materials Motivation Scale Score

  Measured at 1-week follow-up after completion of the educational intervention.

Other Outcomes (1)

• Attitude Toward the Physiotherapy Profession Score

  Assessed at baseline (prior to the intervention) and again 1 week after completion of the intervention.

Study Arms (3)

Conventional Education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The course content was standardized using materials from the "CK4Stim-Clinical Key for Electrical Stimulation in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation" project (CK4Stim, Access Date: October 2024). The CK4Stim project, supported by the European Union and involving multiple projects partners, aims to develop a common language for the use of electrical stimulation in physiotherapy and rehabilitation education in accordance with European standards.

Other: Conventional Instructional Material

Digital Education

EXPERIMENTAL

A lesson package containing a story in an interactive visual novel format created using Ren'Py. This package was designed by the researchers to include the theoretical and practical contents of the medium frequency currents unit, again using the content of the CK4Stım project.

Other: Digital Instructional Material

Conventional and Digital Education

OTHER

A group that received both educational models for comparison.

Other: Digital Instructional Material; Other: Conventional Instructional Material

Interventions

Digital Instructional Material OTHER

A lesson package containing a story in an interactive visual novel format created using Ren'Py. This package was designed by the researchers to include the theoretical and practical contents of the medium frequency currents unit, again using the content of the CK4Stim project.

Conventional and Digital Education; Digital Education

Conventional Instructional Material OTHER

The course content was standardized using materials from the "CK4Stim-Clinical Key for Electrical Stimulation in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation" project (CK4Stim, Access Date: October 2024). The CK4Stim project, supported by the European Union and involving multiple projects partners, aims to develop a common language for the use of electrical stimulation in physiotherapy and rehabilitation education in accordance with European standards.

Conventional Education; Conventional and Digital Education

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Voluntary participation
• Cumulative GPA above 1.80
• Access to a device compatible with at least one of the following operating systems or platforms: Linux x86\_64/Arm, Windows 7 or later, or Mac OS X 10.10 or later

You may not qualify if:

• History of course failure due to absenteeism

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ahmet Koçyiğit: lead

Study Sites (1)

Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Facultu of Health Sciences

Zonguldak, Kozlu, 67000, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Kocyigit A, Cavlak U. Digitalization through the use of Ren'Py-Based interactive learning experiences in physiotherapy and rehabilitation education: a randomised, controlled, single-blind study. BMC Med Educ. 2025 Dec 22. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-08474-z. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 41430217 DERIVED

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer

Model Details: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups-Conventional Education Group (CEG), Digital Education Group (DEG), or Conventional and Digital Education Group (CaDEG)-using a random sequence generated via random.org

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 19, 2025
• First Posted: December 10, 2025
• Study Start: October 7, 2024
• Primary Completion: December 13, 2024
• Study Completion: December 27, 2024
• Last Updated: December 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Locations

TU (1)