In search of a method to assess dispositional behaviours: The case of Otago Virtual Hospital

Abstract

<span>While the potentials of virtual worlds to support experiential learning in medical education are well documented, assessment of student learning within these environments is relatively scarce and often incongruent. In this article, a conceptual framework is proposed for formatively assessing dispositional behaviours in scenario-based learning within a virtual world. The framework was devised for use with medical students playing the roles of junior doctors as they solve open-ended clinical cases within an environment called the </span><em>Otago Virtual Hospital</em><span>. Drawing upon Perkins, Jay and Tishman's (1993) dispositional theory of thinking, it is proposed that the assessment of dispositional behaviours in scenario-based activities can be carried out by measuring the number of times students either seize or miss an opportunity to engage in a particular dispositional behaviour. The approach can potentially also be used for assessing scenario-based learning in other disciplines (e.g. law, business, military).</span>

Virtual Reality in Medical Students’ Education: Scoping Review

“…Of the included studies, most studies were either randomized controlled trials (RCTs; 47/114, 41.2%) or other experimental design studies (eg, before-and-after and cross-over studies; 49/114, 42.9%). Of the 114 studies, 14 (12.3%) were cross-sectional studies [ 35 - 49 ], 3 (2.6%) were case series or case studies [ 42 , 50 , 51 ], and 1 (0.9%) was a meta-analysis that examined the effectiveness of 3D anatomical models in teaching anatomy [ 52 ], which found that 3D anatomical models yielded significantly better results for user satisfaction and perceived effectiveness compared with conventional 2D teaching methods. An overview of the study characteristics is provided in Table 1 .…”

“…Of the 114 papers, 69 (60.5%) concerned surgical VR simulators [ 36 , 37 , 42 , 46 , 47 , 51 , 53 , 55 - 57 , 59 , 66 , 67 , 73 - 75 , 79 , 81 - 84 , 86 , 88 , 90 - 94 , 96 , 98 - 100 , 103 , 105 , 107 - 138 ], 20 (17.5%) used virtual worlds or virtual environments [ 39 - 41 , 43 , 44 , 48 , 50 , 58 , 69 , 70 , 76 - 78 , 101 , 139 - 145 ], 15 (13.2%) used 3D anatomical models, 4 (3.5%) used virtual dissection tables [ 9 , 62 , 97 , 127 , 146 ], 4 (3.5%) used mobile VR [ 14 , 63 , 65 , 147 ], 1 (0.9%) examined the use of a virtual palpation simulator, and 1 (0.9%) used a virtual ultrasound simulator ( Figure 3 ).…”

“…Among the 20 studies involving virtual worlds, 15 (75%) were developed in-house, whereas the remaining 5 (25%) used virtual worlds that are commercial products, including products such as MicroSim [ 58 ], Body Interact [ 141 ], Otago virtual hospital [ 50 ], a beta version of CPR VR learning software [ 70 ], and Medical Realities VR [ 87 ].…”

“…Of the 15 studies that examined virtual worlds, 4 (27%) used VPs [ 41 , 43 , 50 , 101 ]. The VPs used in the simulations were designed with a predefined set of responses to questions asked by the user.…”

Students' expectations of the learning process in virtual reality and simulation-based learning environments

“…Expectations for simulations are high in healthcare education; their use is expected to improve patient care and enhance patient safety. In healthcare education, simulations are expected to improve learning and provide students with experiential learning opportunities (Cleave-Hogg & Morgan, 2002;Gaba, 2004;Loke, Blyth & Swan, 2012;Rall & Dieckmann, 2005). Simulations potentially provide a safe and realistic learning environment in which repeated practice is possible.…”