Collaborative behaviours and professional culture traits in real-time interprofessional clinical simulation

Interprofessional education (IPE) has been proposed as a method of creating a collaborative practice ready workforce in healthcare. Postulated benefits of the technique include improving communication between professional groups, which in turn should help to prevent serious untoward events and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Critics of the method have cited poorly designed IPE as a method of reinforcing physician power, and argued there is a paucity of data linking undergraduate IPE to tangible benefits in a patient-facing setting. Simulation has been increasingly used as a method for delivery of IPE, with positive outcomes cited by students and educators alike. Virtual Patients and avatars have been recently used as a delivery method for healthcare education, but there is a paucity of data regarding their use in IPE. Simulation is not a panacea for IPE, many simulations focus on the acute phase of care naturally excluding healthcare professions who are not involved in those situations. Findings from acute simulations may not apply to sub-acute scenarios. Method A sub-acute real-time virtual patient simulation was designed then delivered to educators (n=6) and undergraduate students (n=33) from the professions of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy. Qualitative data was gathered according to a constructivist paradigm using unstructured observation of in-simulation behaviour, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Results Data was analysed according to Braun and Clarke’s method of thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: technology, education, collaboration, intrinsic behaviours and stereotyping. The simulation was educationally successful with participants citing improved recognition of the skills of other professional groups, and improved physiological and pharmacological knowledge. The real-time aspect of the simulation improved clinical reasoning and forced students to make prescribing decisions, which was cited as beneficial for future practice. The sub-acute nature of the simulation resulted in participants hyper-observing their VP to the detriment of patient care. Good levels of collaboration, team working and appropriate communication were facilitated but students were observed to subconsciously selfstereotype. Conclusions Sub-acute real-time virtual patient simulation appears to be a valid method of enabling students to learn with and from one another. It conveys benefit over traditional educational methods such as classroom-based, problem-based and experiential learning as students are given full responsibility for patient care with little supervision. Self-stereotyping amongst students suggests that students convey stereotypical messages about their own profession to others. This may aid team-building in the undergraduate setting, but if these stereotypical views are transferred to advanced practice, there may be detrimental consequences for team formation and patient care

Is Augmented Reality the future of business? A qualitative study on factors affecting the potential for mass adoption of augmented reality in business processes.

Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the emerging technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that might bring radical shifts to the way we live and interact with the world around us. This thesis examines the benefits and use cases of AR in business processes. Furthermore, it examines the limitations and barriers that can explain why more companies are not committing to the technology. The aim of the thesis is to determine if AR belongs in the future of business, and if so, when there will be mass adoption. To do so, we interviewed 10 individuals with experience and expertise in AR. Using thematic analysis, we divided the findings into three different time periods, yesterday, today, and future. Limitations and barriers were further divided into four categories: hardware, UX and software, culture and society, and company. Our findings reveal several benefits to AR, for example improved efficiency, accelerating training and reducing costs. More importantly, AR is set to drastically change how we see and interact with our surroundings. It has the potential to become an integral part of our daily lives. However, findings highlight several limitations and barriers that must be overcome for AR to reach mass adoption. Most prominently, cumbersome hardware, and the need for acceptance and a normalization of AR in both companies and society. Nevertheless, we conclude that mass adoption of AR is likely to happen in the next 10 years. Consequently, the thesis imply that companies should prepare themselves proactively for an AR revolution, so that once the limitations and barriers are softened, companies are able to keep pace with the technological advancements and thrive in the years to come.nhhma

New Game Physics - Added Value for Transdisciplinary Teams

This study focused on game physics, an area of computer game design where physics is applied in interactive computer software. The purpose of the research was a fresh analysis of game physics in order to prove that its current usage is limited and requires advancement. The investigations presented in this dissertation establish constructive principles to advance game physics design. The main premise was that transdisciplinary approaches provide significant value. The resulting designs reflected combined goals of game developers, artists and physicists and provide novel ways to incorporate physics into games. The applicability and user impact of such new game physics across several target audiences was thoroughly examined. In order to explore the transdisciplinary nature of the premise, valid evidence was gathered using a broad range of theoretical and practical methodologies. The research established a clear definition of game physics within the context of historical, technological, practical, scientific, and artistic considerations. Game analysis, literature reviews and seminal surveys of game players, game developers and scientists were conducted. A heuristic categorization of game types was defined to create an extensive database of computer games and carry out a statistical analysis of game physics usage. Results were then combined to define core principles for the design of unconventional new game physics elements. Software implementations of several elements were developed to examine the practical feasibility of the proposed principles. This research prototype was exposed to practitioners (artists, game developers and scientists) in field studies, documented on video and subsequently analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the elements on the audiences. The findings from this research demonstrated that standard game physics is a common but limited design element in computer games. It was discovered that the entertainment driven design goals of game developers interfere with the needs of educators and scientists. Game reviews exemplified the exaggerated and incorrect physics present in many commercial computer games. This “pseudo physics” was shown to have potentially undesired effects on game players. Art reviews also indicated that game physics technology remains largely inaccessible to artists. The principal conclusion drawn from this study was that the proposed new game physics advances game design and creates value by expanding the choices available to game developers and designers, enabling artists to create more scientifically robust artworks, and encouraging scientists to consider games as a viable tool for education and research. The practical portion generated tangible evidence that the isolated “silos” of engineering, art and science can be bridged when game physics is designed in a transdisciplinary way. This dissertation recommends that scientific and artistic perspectives should always be considered when game physics is used in computer-based media, because significant value for a broad range of practitioners in succinctly different fields can be achieved. The study has thereby established a state of the art research into game physics, which not only offers other researchers constructive principles for future investigations, but also provides much-needed new material to address the observed discrepancies in game theory and digital media design

Assessment of Affective Responses to Classroom, Outdoor, and Virtual Geology Field Experiences

Geology field experiences can build students’ confidence, aid in identity development, and lead to emerging individual interest. However, instructors contend with cost, logistical, and accessibility challenges when planning field trips for large, introductory geology courses. This study designed a virtual reality geology field experience set in Grand Canyon to combat challenges with traditional geology field experiences, while providing introductory students with an exciting activity. This study used a concurrent triangulation mixed methods multiple-case study design to compare participants’ attitudes toward the virtual reality geology field experience to a classroom field experience and outdoor field experience. This study also assessed students’ change in geology interest from pre- to post-experience, as well as virtual experience participants’ sense of presence in the virtual environment. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews to determine the aspects of each experience that led to participants’ geology interest changes, their attitudes, and their sense of presence. Students in the outdoor experience had the most positive attitudes toward their experience, as well as a significant change in geology interest. Interview participants mentioned that the outdoor experience was a novel, challenging activity that allowed for personal experience with geology, as well as strengthening their existing place attachment for their university. Students in the classroom experience also had positive attitudes toward their experience because they could apply their geology knowledge in a synthesis activity. However, the students did not experience a significant change in geology interest because the experience did not have any novel elements to it. Students in the virtual experience had the least positive attitudes toward their experience, but they did have significant changes in geology interest. Students also had a low sense of presence in the virtual environment. Participants noted that while the virtual experience background looked like Grand Canyon, educational aspects such as questions and geology tools, removed students’ belief of realness. Interview participants also discussed symptoms of cybersickness that led to negative opinions of the experience. Outdoor field experiences were the most effective at impacting students’ feelings toward geology. However, future work will determine if virtual experiences may be as effective at influencing students’ opinions toward geology if they feature local places, instead of or in addition to landmark locations with visible geology such as Grand Canyon

Participant responses to virtual agents in immersive virtual environments.

This thesis is concerned with interaction between people and virtual humans in the context of highly immersive virtual environments (VEs). Empirical studies have shown that virtual humans (agents) with even minimal behavioural capabilities can have a significant emotional impact on participants of immersive virtual environments (IVEs) to the extent that these have been used in studies of mental health issues such as social phobia and paranoia. This thesis focuses on understanding the impact on the responses of people to the behaviour of virtual humans rather than their visual appearance. There are three main research questions addressed. First, the thesis considers what are the key nonverbal behavioural cues used to portray a specific psychological state. Second, research determines the extent to which the underlying state of a virtual human is recognisable through the display of a key set of cues inferred from the behaviour of real humans. Finally, the degree to which a perceived psychological state in a virtual human invokes responses from participants in immersive virtual environments that are similar to those observed in the physical world is considered. These research questions were investigated through four experiments. The first experiment focused on the impact of visual fidelity and behavioural complexity on participant responses by implementing a model of gaze behaviour in virtual humans. The results of the study concluded that participants expected more life-like behaviours from more visually realistic virtual humans. The second experiment investigated the detrimental effects on participant responses when interacting with virtual humans with low behavioural complexity. The third experiment investigated the differences in responses of participants to virtual humans perceived to be in varying emotional states. The emotional states of the virtual humans were portrayed using postural and facial cues. Results indicated that posture does play an important role in the portrayal of affect however the behavioural model used in the study did not fully cover the qualities of body movement associated with the emotions studied. The final experiment focused on the portrayal of affect through the quality of body movement such as the speed of gestures. The effectiveness of the virtual humans was gauged through exploring a variety of participant responses including subjective responses, objective physiological and behavioural measures. The results show that participants are affected and respond to virtual humans in a significant manner provided that an appropriate behavioural model is used

Immersive Journalism as Storytelling

"This book sets out cutting-edge new research and examines future prospects on 360-degree video, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) in journalism, analyzing and discussing virtual world experiments from a range of perspectives. Featuring contributions from a diverse range of scholars, Immersive Journalism as Storytelling highlights both the opportunities and the challenges presented by this form of storytelling. The book discusses how immersive journalism has the potential to reach new audiences, change the way stories are told, and provide more interactivity within the news industry. Aside from generating deeper emotional reactions and global perspectives, the book demonstrates how it can also diversify and upskill the news industry. Further contributions address the challenges, examining how immersive storytelling calls for reassessing issues of journalism ethics and truthfulness, transparency, privacy, manipulation, and surveillance, and questioning what it means to cover reality when a story is told in virtual reality. Chapters are grounded in empirical data such as content analyses and expert interviews, alongside insightful case studies that discuss Euronews, Nonny de la Peña’s Project Syria, and The New York Times’ NYTVR application. This book is written for journalism teachers, educators, and students, as well as scholars, politicians, lawmakers, and citizens with an interest in emerging technologies for media practice.

Immersive Journalism as Storytelling

This book sets out cutting-edge new research and examines future prospects on 360-degree video, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) in journalism, analyzing and discussing virtual world experiments from a range of perspectives. Featuring contributions from a diverse range of scholars, Immersive Journalism as Storytelling highlights both the opportunities and the challenges presented by this form of storytelling. The book discusses how immersive journalism has the potential to reach new audiences, change the way stories are told, and provide more interactivity within the news industry. Aside from generating deeper emotional reactions and global perspectives, the book demonstrates how it can also diversify and upskill the news industry. Further contributions address the challenges, examining how immersive storytelling calls for reassessing issues of journalism ethics and truthfulness, transparency, privacy, manipulation, and surveillance, and questioning what it means to cover reality when a story is told in virtual reality. Chapters are grounded in empirical data such as content analyses and expert interviews alongside insightful case studies that discuss Euronews, Nonny de la Peña’s Project Syria, and The New York Times’ VR application NYTVR. This book is written for journalism teachers, educators, and students as well as scholars, politicians, lawmakers, and citizens with an interest in emerging technologies for media practice

Immersive Journalism as Storytelling

"This book sets out cutting-edge new research and examines future prospects on 360-degree video, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) in journalism, analyzing and discussing virtual world experiments from a range of perspectives. Featuring contributions from a diverse range of scholars, Immersive Journalism as Storytelling highlights both the opportunities and the challenges presented by this form of storytelling. The book discusses how immersive journalism has the potential to reach new audiences, change the way stories are told, and provide more interactivity within the news industry. Aside from generating deeper emotional reactions and global perspectives, the book demonstrates how it can also diversify and upskill the news industry. Further contributions address the challenges, examining how immersive storytelling calls for reassessing issues of journalism ethics and truthfulness, transparency, privacy, manipulation, and surveillance, and questioning what it means to cover reality when a story is told in virtual reality. Chapters are grounded in empirical data such as content analyses and expert interviews, alongside insightful case studies that discuss Euronews, Nonny de la Peña’s Project Syria, and The New York Times’ NYTVR application. This book is written for journalism teachers, educators, and students, as well as scholars, politicians, lawmakers, and citizens with an interest in emerging technologies for media practice.