Enhancing simulation education with intelligent tutoring systems

The demand for education in the area of simulation is in the increase. This paper describes how education in the field of simulation can take advantage of the virtues of intelligent tutoring with respect to enhancing the educational process. For this purpose, this paper gives an overview of what constitutes the objectives and the content of a comprehensive course in discrete event simulation. The architecture of an intelligent tutoring system is presented and it is discussed how these sophisticated learning aids offer individualised student guidance and support within a learning environment. The paper then introduces a prototype intelligent tutoring system, the simulation tutor, and suggests how the system might be developed to enhance education in simulation

In-situ simulation: A different approach to patient safety through immersive training

Simulation is becoming more and more popular in the field of healthcare education. The main concern for some faculty is knowing how to organise simulation training sessions when there is no simulation centre as they are not yet widely available and their cost is often prohibitive. In medical education, the pedagogic objectives are mainly aimed at improving the quality of care as well as patient safety. To that effect, a mobile training approach whereby simulation-based education is done at the point of care, outside simulation centres, is particularly appropriate. It is usually called “in-situ simulation”. This is an approach that allows training of care providers as a team in their normal working environment. It is particularly useful to observe human factors and train team members in a context that is their real working environment. This immersive training approach can be relatively low cost and enables to identify strengths and weaknesses of a healthcare system. This article reminds readers of the principle of « context specific learning » that is needed for the good implementation of simulation-based education in healthcare while highlighting the advantages, obstacles, and challenges to the development of in-situ simulation in hospitals. The objective is to make clinical simulation accessible to all clinicians for the best interests of the patient.Peer reviewe

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Transportation Studies through Simulating Transportation for Realistic Engineering Education and Training (STREET)

The practice of transportation engineering and planning has evolved substantially over the past several decades. A new paradigm for transportation engineering education is required to better engage students and deliver knowledge. Simulation tools have been used by transportation professionals to evaluate and analyze the potential impact of design or control strategy changes. Conveying complex transportation concepts can be effectively achieved by exploring them through simulation. Simulation is particularly valuable in transportation education because most transportation policies and strategies in the real world take years to implement with a prohibitively high cost. Transportation simulation allows learners to apply different control strategies in a risk-free environment and to expose themselves to transportation engineering methodologies that are currently in practice. Despite the advantages, simulation, however, has not been widely adopted in the education of transportation engineering. Using simulation in undergraduate transportation courses is sporadic and reported efforts have been focused on the upper-level technical elective courses. A suite of web-based simulation modules was developed and incorporated in the undergraduate transportation courses at University of Minnesota. The STREET (Simulating Transportation for Realistic Engineering Education and Training) research project was recently awarded by NSF (National Science Foundation) to develop web-based simulation modules to improve instruction in transportation engineering courses and evaluate their effectiveness. Our ultimate goal is to become the epicenter for developing simulation-based teaching materials, an active textbook, which offers an interactive learning environment to undergraduate students. With the hand-on nature of simulation, we hope to improve student understanding of critical concepts in transportation engineering and student motivation toward transportation engineering, and improve student retention in the field. We also would like to disseminate the results and teaching materials to other colleges to integrate the simulation modules in their curricula.Transportation Education and Training, Transportation Simulation, Roadway Geometry Design

A Simulation-Based Teaching Strategy to Achieve Competence in Learners

Background: Simulation-based education has become the mainstay of clinical education in health sciences and medical education. A simulation-based education is a result of work hour restriction placed on graduate learners, increased number of students requiring clinical experience, decreased number of clinical sites and lack of the availability to perform certain procedures by learners. Research has demonstrated that integration of a simulation-based educational teaching strategy in a curriculum and throughout continued learning achieves competence in learners. Methods: The review of the literature highlighted the following topics: (a) history of medical simulation, (b) fidelity used in simulation training, devices and equipment, (c) learning theories associated with simulation-based education, (d) role of simulation training in medical and health sciences education, e) advantages and disadvantages of simulation training, f) competence in simulation-based education, g) debriefing/reflection in simulation. Results: An extensive review of the literature supports the use of a simulation-based teaching strategy in health sciences and medical education. Learning theories associated with simulation-based education allow educators to provide teaching strategies that align with learner’s ability to achieve competence in learning clinical and procedural skills required for their profession. Conclusion: A simulation-based education integrated in all stages of learner education that provides deliberate/repetitive practice and feedback achieves competence in learners throughout a life-time of learning

Simulation in clinical education: a reflective and critical account

Simulation. A complex tool employed to immerse learners in a reality created specifically to elicit actions, behaviours and thought processes which can then be discussed with peers and reflected upon by the learner immediately and at leisure. This was my understanding of what simulation has to offer as an educational intervention. I viewed simulation through the lens of Honey and Mumford's (1986) experiential learning typology, seeing it satisfy all four learning styles - activist and reflector most obviously so, but theorist because of the observational element and pragmatist as the scenario unravels. It externalises what is often the internal parts of the cycle – reflection and abstract conceptualisation – through the debriefing process. I also believed that high fidelity environments offered the greatest return in terms of learning – being rather dismissive of lower fidelity tools. However, through active observation of simulation – both in a setting I am familiar with (mannequin based scenarios) and in one I am not (dental student lab-based simulation) – I am recognising that this view may be only a small aspect of what simulation has to offer and that fidelity is not everything

Simulation and Quality in Clinical Education

Abstract Background Simulation-based education (SBE) has become commonplace in healthcare education within hospitals, higher education institutions, the private healthcare sector, and private education providers. The standards and quality of delivery vary across the UK (1), leading to differing degrees of learning for healthcare professionals. This variance in standards makes research into the impact of SBE on the end user (the patient) difficult to measure. Review The delivery of SBE needs to be of a high standard if learning via this pedagogy is to be maximised and benefits to patients accurately assessed. This article aims to summarise the importance of quality within clinical SBE and how it can be achieved and maintained to produce a measurable impact on patient care. The current progress of the implementation of UK national standards for SBE is included to highlight the need for standardisation and guidance to support simulation centres and individuals to benchmark practice and work towards accreditation through quality measurement and monitoring processes. Suggestions are made on how such standards will affect the future of SBE and all those involved. Conclusion There is a clear need for the development of national standards for SBE delivery and for a stepped approach [i.e. minimum, intermediate, and advanced standards] depending on the size, capacity, and frequency of SBE education delivery. Considerable financial outlay will be required to monitor standards effectively. The enhanced use of current and future technologies should be considered with regards to monitoring standards as well as data collection for future research opportunities. Keywords Simulation, quality improvement, educational standard

Simulation in Nursing Education: A Review of the Research

Simulation in education has been used at least since the time of World War II. Simulation in nursing education in the form of static manikins, role playing, CPR manikins, and other techniques has also been utilized as a teaching modality for quite some time. High-fidelity simulation is a relatively new area in nursing education and utilizes high technology simulation monitors and computers. This technology offers new avenues for teaching student nurses scenarios as well as critical thinking and reflection on lived experience and practice. However, the outcome research in the area of high-fidelity simulation in nursing education is limited at this time. This article focuses on the qualitative and quantitative research currently available in this area

Simulation To Reduce Medical Errors And Improve Patient Safety In Anesthesia

Over the past two decades, simulation in medical education has been adopted by health education programs and established as a proven method of education for health care students and providers. Despite the addition of simulation to healthcare education, medical errors are ranked as the third leading cause of death in the United States. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the translation of simulation education into increased patient safety and reduction of medical errors in anesthesia. Overall, the literature reviewed confirms that simulation can be used to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. Additional correlational research between simulation reduction in medical errors and increases in patient safety research is needed

Creating a Professional Development Plan for a Simulation Consortium

As the United States struggles with health care reform and a nursing education system that inadequately prepares students for practice, dramatic advances in educational technology signal opportunities for both academic and practicing nurses to affect our profession as never before. Simulation technologies provide large and small institutions with the means to educate health care students and novice professionals effectively and efficiently through hands-on experience, but the costs of such a venture can be prohibitive. A simulation consortium offers a venue for different health care and educational institutions with shared goals to pool knowledge, monies, and labor toward health care education throughout a geographic area. This article details one Midwestern U.S. region's work in creating a professional development plan for a new simulation consortium