Sheetal Kavia, Supriya Krishnan, Luke Woodham, Trupti Jivram, Narain Ramluchumun, Terry Poulton and Sean Hilton St George’s University of London Playing Virtual Patients through M-Learning

Overview Generation 4 project Problem-Based Learning Virtual Patients (VP) Feedback Assessment Virtual Patients Mobile Survey MedEdCases App Feedback

Grant from the Joint Information's System Committee for £200,000 under its ‘Curriculum Transformation’ stand Aim: create a more interactive, personalised VP/PBL curriculum Clinical PBL For each 18 interactive cases we delivered 2 formative assessment cases Generation 4

Problem-Based Learning

‘Branched’ PBL‘Linear’ PBL

“An interactive computer simulation of real-life clinical scenarios for the purpose of medical training, education, or assessment” Medbiquitous White Paper, 2007 Rachel Ellaway, Valerie Smothers What is a Virtual Patient (VP)?

Example of a Case

Problem-based Learning

Student Feedback “It’s getting you to think more, because you’re making choices”... “.. in a branched case, [students] have the choices, can take it back and learn something new. I think that’s good.” “..it is quite memorable, whereas in the paper case, you don’t have that, [students] just go to learn something in a very tedious way”

Tutor Feedback “it really does seem to take the PBL to another level, that really mimics what they’re seeing when they go out into the clinical world.” “... it really is a big educational step, and the students have said that, they’re on the wards, and then they go and do PBL, and the two are ‘cementing’ each other” “.. Students slowed down to discuss options, instead of rushing through the early parts of the case “

Self-Assessment VPs 2 self assessment VPs were created as part of the G4 project for each PBL Why? -Students concentrate on the PBL case of the week and not the broader learning objectives -More exposure to a greater range of patient conditions Challenge: -Poor take up of the self assessment cases

Mobile Survey

SGUL Mobile Learning Survey

Virtual Patient App – MedEdCases MedEdCases app was designed for the G4 assessment VPs which is updated each week Cases can be downloaded by students over 3G network The cases can then be played on the move once downloaded

MedEdCases – Playing Cases

MedEdCases – Assessment Features

MedEdCases – Finishing the Case

Feedback 18 From the 40% of students with iPhones 97/320 downloaded the app Feedback is on-going throughout the year Overall the app was scored 8/10 88% rated the app easy/very easy to use and none found it difficult/very difficult. 82% agreed the content of the app was useful It scored 4.2/5 for usefulness

19 Very EasyEasyNeutralDifficult Very Difficult Downloading cases52.9%41.2%0.0%5.9%0.0% Syncing to get new cases47.1%23.5% 5.9%0.0% Navigating through the case29.4%35.3%23.5%11.8%0.0% Answering multiple choice questions 25.0%62.5%12.5%0.0% Checking tick boxes31.3%62.5%6.3%0.0% Reading the text25.0%68.8%6.3%0.0% Viewing images31.3%50.0%12.5%0.0%6.3% Searching cases12.5%50.0%18.8% 0.0% Viewing your high scores18.8%50.0%12.5%6.3%12.5% Getting support for the app18.8%31.3%50.0%0.0% Feedback

Comments

What Next? What type of assessment tool would students find most useful? At what stage in their course? We shall be collecting anonymised data from student formative assessment Android version of the app to be released this Spring! Virtual Patient authoring app