Experience with an Analog Board Game Transposed to Digital on the Roll20 Platform in the Cell Biology Course during Remote Learning

Abstract

Cell Biology, an important field for understanding living beings and biotechnological advances, often presents challenges in teaching and learning due to the amount of abstract content. One solution has been the use of educational games, such as Célula Adentro, which promote learning in an engaging way. This study shows the importance of transposing Célula Adentro during the pandemic period to the Roll20 digital platform. This transposition provided an effective learning experience, where the majority of students reported significant learning, highlighting the valuable contribution of games transposed to digital platforms in the educational process. Furthermore, the cooperative aspect of the game promoted social interactions between students, which proved to be vital, especially when we consider that many of them did not know each other well, due to the pandemic. Remote access to the game through the digital platform was an important factor, allowing learning to continue during the interruption of in-person classes. The students' overall satisfaction with the game was notable, highlighting the effectiveness of learnability, social interaction and relevance of the content. In summary, the use of educational games, whether analog or digital, offers an engaging and effective way to teach Cell Biology, enriching students' learning experience. This study also points to the viability of Célula Adentro on the digital platform as a valuable tool for distance learning. This approach can empower future educators to adopt more engaging and effective teaching methods, enriching their students' education.

Keywords: Inside cell. Digital platforms. Roll20. Transposition. Cell biology.