Educators are often challenged with maintaining a student's attention during lecture, and after the first 10 minutes of instruction, learner attention begins to diminish.1 To regain attention, educators need to alter the environment and engage the learners. Kahoot! is a quizzing program that educators can use not only to increase participation during lecture but also as a formative assessment. Kahoot! quizzes can be used at any time during lecture to provide the nurse educator with a baseline of student comprehension, as well as reinforce student connections and patterns of the concepts learned.

Kahoot! is a Web-based technology that is free. Educators can register on the site and begin designing their own Kahoot! quizzes or choose from a library of Kahoot! quizzes. Quizzes can have music, pictures, and videos easily added to the background. The quizzes are saved and can then be retrieved with Internet access. Students can use smartphones, tablets, or computers to respond to the questions. Students are asked to enter a screen name and the game code to get started. Once the game begins, the questions will scroll based on the timing, and students receive points for the quickness and accuracy of their answers. Students receive an overall score on completion, and the top 3 scores are displayed on the screen. Kahoot! increases engagement through competition and provides an exciting method of formative assessment.

By Roxie Barnes, MSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (mailto:[email protected]).

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