Redesigning Professional Education: Enhancing Practice Preparation Virtual Case Creator Online Simul

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Redesigning Professional Education Enhancing
Practice Preparation Virtual Case Creator
Online Simulation Platform

• Nigel Wynne - Senior Academic
• National Teaching Fellow
• Faculty of Health
• Birmingham City University

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Who Are Our Students and How Do They Learn?
The journey towards flexible learning
video. Professor Alan Staley Birmingham City
University
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What do we need to do?

• More balanced e-learning ecology
• More situated learning experiences
• More authentic scenario representation
• More active, learner led and flexible learning
• Enhanced preparation for employment
• Accessible, scalable, updatable, flexible

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What route should we take?
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Online Practice Simulations Virtual Case Creator?

• VCC is software that supports the creation of
  interactive multi media case study simulations.
• Built upon a database with a Java middle tier and
  Adobe Flash interface.
• Supports learning activities within messy and
  unstructured contexts.

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Interactive Non-Linear and Situated Learning
Solutions
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Examples of Some Existing VCC Simulations
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Examples of Existing VCC Scenarios and Design
Characteristics
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Influential Practice Learning Theory
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Practice Learning Theory
Rejected the dualistic construction of knowledge
promoted knowing as an active and practice
immersed process
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Practice Learning Theory
Zone of Proximal Development Scaffolding (Bruner)
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Practice Learning Theory
Legitimate Peripheral Participation
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Practice Learning Theory
The swampy lowland of messy practice problems
that cant be solved by application of facts and
formal theories
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Practice Learning Theory
Situated Cognition
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Practice Learning Theory
Constructive Alignment
Biggs
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How are the scenarios used?

• Integrated within modules or NHS training
  programmes.
• Tightly aligned with LOs and Assessment.
• To support group and individual learning.
• To enhance didactic teaching.
• Combined with a PRS system to enhance large group
  teaching.
• Support distributed learning through more
  flexible access.
• To prepare learners to engage in higher fidelity
  modes of simulation.

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Flexible, Situated and Engaging Preparation for
Employment
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Recent VCC Developments

• Addition of programmer 09 - HEIF 3 CICT funded
• QA and wider university work with SML 08/09
  HEIF 4 funded
• 2 NHS funded VCC projects 08/09 ongoing
• 26 cases developed by Sept 09
• Launched in 1 local NHS Trust March 09
• 2 scenarios Fac. Education March 09
• Over 3000 student/module experiences supported
• Licensed to 1HEI pilot study

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Parallel Workstreams

• Learning Object Development
• Virtual World Scoping Exercise
• Virtual World Demonstrator Project
• Webcasting, session capture and podcasting.

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VCC Future Developments

• Further capture of the learner experience
• Analysis of knowledge transfer into practice
  arena
• Enhancements to application software
• New case development and fuller integration of
  video
• Development partnership consortium
• Migration to virtual community setting

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Thank You

• Nigel Wynne
• National Teaching Fellow
• Senior Academic LT
• Faculty of Health
• Nigel.wynne_at_bcu.ac.uk
• 0121 331 7172/ 0797 147 1626
• For further information on VCC see
• http//vccweb.health.bcu.ac.uk

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The application of online simulation scenario
based learning to Speech and Language Therapy
undergraduate education

• Amanda Howett
• Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy

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• First year module
• Introduction to a range of acquired
  communication needs
• The first direct speech and language therapy
  modules that students take.
• One of the learning outcome is to discuss the
  impact that a communication need may have on a
  client, their life and their family

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• A group tutorial enables students to use the
  virtual case creator with tutors and technical
  staff present.
• Students become familiar with the VCC
• Students can ask questions and receive support
• Technical difficulties can be alleviated
• The introductory video talks students through the
  virtual case creator. They can watch this again
  at any point in order to refresh their memory as
  to how it works and what they are to do.

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Client Mary D.O.B x/10/47 Mary had a stroke
on 10th January this year. She was admitted to
hospital and was initially on an admission ward
and then was transferred to the Stroke Ward. She
had severe weakness in her right leg and arm. She
was assessed by a speech and language therapist
on 13th January. She presented with aphasia,
difficulties with understanding both the written
and spoken word as well difficulties in getting
her message across.
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Range of Clients

• Mary has aphasia
• John has dysarthria
• Anand has had a laryngectomy

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Dysarthria Profile Roberston S J (1982) The
following is a summary of the Dysarthria
profile. The dysarthria profile is divided in to
8 sections I Respiration II Phonation
III Facial Musculature IV Diadochokinesis V
Reflexes VI Articulation VII Intelligibility VIII
Prosody and Rate This assessment mainly carries
out appraisal at the level of impairment with
some appraisal of activity.
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STUDENT EVALUATION
Wow. Really cool. Showed it friends and family
to show what good resources my uni has.
A good tool to aid learning and simulate real
life clients.
Very useful resource. Helped that the link to
lectures was so clear.
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Thank You

• Amanda Howett
• Senior Lecturer in SLT
• Faculty of Health
• Birmingham City University
• Amanda.howett_at_bcu.ac.uk
• 0121 331 5493
• For further information on VCC see
• http//vccweb.health.bcu.ac.uk

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Talktown A Virtual NHS PCT

• Faculty of Health
• Claire Ewen Senior Lecturer SLT
• Nigel Wynne Senior Academic, National Teaching
  Fellow

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CONTEXT

• Final year module Professional Studies
• 89 students
• Sep-Dec 2007 (before final placement)
• Inconsistencies in Placement Experiences
• Prepare for placement, fill the gaps prepare
  for first jobs as clinicians

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CONTEXT

• The first module of its kind within SLT
• Online simulation of a first post within SLT
  this IS the module
• Workbook driven virtual scenario workshops
• Major tasks
• Manage competing/conflicting demands that may be
  made on a SLT
• Prioritise manage mini caseloads
• Generate some examples of workable diaries for a
  4 week period

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CONTEXT

• Key Outcomes
• Enable students to acquire skills to support
  their employability.
• Develop the students knowledge of, and capacity
  to engage in, continuing professional
  development.
• Contribute to the students professional
  competence through developing problem solving
  skills.
• Assessment Report

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Evaluation

• Case Study Multi-Method Triangulation
• Questionnaire Survey
• Focus Group Interviews
• Retrospective and Concurrent Analysis of
  Summative Assessment Performance
• Practitioner Anecdotal Feedback on Student
  Performance

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EVALUATION Summative Assessment Performance

• Compared assessment performance of students in
  intervention module with
• 3 previous iterations of this module
• 3 additional modules that ran concurrently in
  year 3

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No Significant Difference

• Between the intervention, concurrent and previous
  modules for of students achieving grades A to
  D
• Between the intervention, concurrent and previous
  modules for students achieving grades E to F
• Between the intervention and previous modules for
  of students achieving grades A to B

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Significant Difference

• Between intervention and concurrent modules for
  students achieving grades AB
• Between intervention and concurrent modules for
  students achieving grades A

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EVALUATION Quantitative Results

• Students perceptions (1)
• Purposive sample (32 students/36 of cohort) -
  questionnaire
• 84 the module was more interesting
• 84 module seemed more relevant
• 78 think hard about their learning
• 75 learned more independently
• 71 encouraged reflection
• 66 more enthusiastic
• More than half encouraged consistent study
  effort

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Open Question What has been good about using the
Virtual Cases?
It has motivated me to problem solve.
Brings theory to life, making situations and
scenarios more meaningful.
Thinking in a professional way.
Real life applicability, managing a case load.
More realistic and fun than a lecture.
Innovative interesting and different.
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EVALUATION Qualitative Results

• Students perceptions (2)
• 8 students volunteered focus groups
• Valued the opportunity to manage a virtual
  caseload and diary
• Gained important insights and skills related to
  the work of a qualified SLT
• Provide advantages in the search for employment
• Could have been more tightly aligned with
  assessment

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EVALUATION Qualitative

• Comments from a local SLT manager
• Newly qualified therapists are in a highly
  competitive environment currently and need to
  ensure that they stand out from the crowd at
  interviews. Demonstrating an awareness of
  professional issues such as the prioritisation
  and management of caseloads and the compilation
  of evidence of professional development can make
  the difference between being appointed to a post
  or not.

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EVALUATION Qualitative

• The virtual clinic gives students a valuable
  opportunity to grapple with realistic demands on
  their time. Entering the virtual therapy room
  and being confronted with emails, memos, answer
  phone messages, meetings in your diary and a
  filing cabinet full of clients to see is about as
  close to a real working experience as they can
  get. This is a safe and supportive environment
  to begin working out what to prioritise and why.

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CONCLUSIONS

• May have positive impact on learner motivation
  and development of cognitive skills
• Learner centred, flexible and practice focused
  e-learning may have more widespread value to
  undergraduate curricula CPD following
  qualification
• Tighter module alignment may enhance impact
  further.

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THE NEXT STEPS

• Do newly qualified SLTs benefit?
• Could the tool be used for the CPD of qualified
  clinicians e.g. returning to work?
• Further scenario developments in partnership with
  other organisations?

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Thank You!

• Claire Ewen
• Claire.ewen_at_bcu.ac.uk
• For further information on VCC see
• http//vccweb.health.bcu.ac.uk