Research suggests that simulation technology has potential to enhance student achievement, particularly for students having a preference for hands-on learning. The aim of this study was to compare ventilation learning outcomes in students attending traditional lecture versus students using an active learning ventilation simulation. A computer simulation was developed to advance students' learning of mechanical ventilation. Forty-one students were divided into upper and lower strata based on performance rankings and were then randomly assigned to first complete a simulation scenario or view a lecture. Two distinct ventilation topics, controls and clinical, were developed for each instructional method. Students completed examinations three weeks following each respective instructional intervention (lecture or simulation scenarios) as well as one long-term examination and survey six weeks following the second examination. Upper-ranking students who learned the clinical topic through the simulation scenarios outperformed students who learned by traditional lecture. In addition, upper-ranking students scored higher than lower-ranking students in both the clinical and long-term composite examinations. No differences in student scores attributed to instructional method or class rank were identified for the controls topic. Survey results indicated that students were more engaged as learners when using the simulation and wished to have the simulation available during their clinical intensive care unit (ICU) rotations. Use of the simulation was associated with improved performance of upper-ranking students on the clinical-topic exam and was equivalent to lecture as an instructional intervention on the controls-topic exam. The simulation was perceived as an engaging, desirable tool providing immediate feedback.
Examination scores from 109 students enrolled in the professional veterinary program at Washington State University were evaluated to determine the effectiveness and utility of the Virtual Ventilator computer simulation for teaching the principles of mechanical ventilation in an anesthesia course. Students were randomly assigned to either a live-animal mechanical ventilation laboratory (LIVE-1st) or a computer laboratory using the mechanical ventilation simulation (SIM-1st) in week 1. During week 2, students in the LIVE-1st group participated in the ventilation simulation while students in the SIM-1st group participated in the live-animal laboratory. Student knowledge was evaluated using two similar written quizzes administered following each laboratory. Student opinions concerning the value of the simulation were assessed using an online survey. Differences in quiz scores within and between groups were compared using t-tests while survey results were tabulated. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Within the LIVE-1st group, scores for the second quiz, which was taken after the students had completed the simulation exercise, were significantly higher than those obtained from the first quiz. Accordingly, the Virtual Ventilator simulation was at least equivalent to the live-animal laboratory in the ability to present information that was subsequently tested for on the quizzes. Students in the SIM-1st group reported that use of the simulation prior to a live-animal ventilation laboratory enhanced their understanding of and ability to provide mechanical ventilation to anesthetized patients. The Virtual Ventilator simulation appears to be a useful and well-received teaching tool.
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