Adam Dubrowski

The missing piece in the gamification puzzle

Gamification, that is, employing game design elements to non-gaming applications to make them more fun, engaging, and motivating, has been growing in popularity and is seen in a large number of contexts. In this paper we present a framework that seeks to provide investigators with guidelines for the implementation of gamification. The proposed framework is an adaptation of a framework proposed by the Medical Research Council in 2000, and has been extensively applied to research in health services, public health, and social policy related to health. The use of this framework within the gamification field may help make gamification a more controlled intervention that can be documented, and evaluated, with replicated outcomes amongst differing contexts.

Operationalising elaboration theory for simulation instruction design: a Delphi study.

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of incorporating the Delphi process within the simplifying conditions method (SCM) described in elaboration theory (ET) to identify conditions impacting the complexity of procedural skills for novice learners.

Effects of sound on visual realism perception and task performance

Before the application of virtual simulations and serious games for surgical education and training becomes more widespread, there are a number of open questions and issues that must be addressed including the relationship between realism, multi-modal cue interaction, immersion, and knowledge transfer and retention. Using the serious game surgical cognitive education and training framework developed specifically for cognitive surgical skills training, here we examine the effect of sound on visual realism perception and task completion time while performing a task within a virtual environment. Our preliminary experimental results indicate that the appropriate use of sound can lead to performance improvements when performing a task within a virtual environment without a corresponding decrease in the perception of visual realism.

Gamification for Internet Based Learning in Health Professions Education

The main aim of this paper is to analyze the existing Internet-based learning (IBL) literature as it pertains to health professions education to draw on common interpretations, and to propose a framework to implement IBL within the area of health professions education. Central to our approach is the incorporation of gamification within IBL to promote greater levels of engagement and motivation and thus enhance the learning experience.

A Serious Game for Medical-Based Cultural Competence Education and Training

Here we present a novel multi-player serious game for the purpose of cultural sensitivity competence training aimed at healthcare providers and trainees. The serious game allows for a wide variety of realistic culturally sensitive scenarios to be easily created and simulated.

The effect of sound on visual realism perception and task completion time in a cel-shaded serious gaming virtual environment

Here we investigate the effect of sound on the perception of visual realism and the time required to complete a simple navigation-based task within a serious gaming (virtual) environment under various sound and visual conditions. Results indicate that the perception of visual realism and task completion time can be affected by sound. Designers and developers of serious games (and virtual environments in general) should be aware of the effects of sound on a users perception of the visual scene and on task completion time, and they should thus ensure that sound is carefully considered when creating such environments.

Interprofessional critical care training: Interactive virtual learning environments and simulations

Interprofessional critical care training (ICCT) is an important activity that helps develop and formalize an understanding of the roles, expertise, and unique contributions attributed to members of multi-disciplinary teams in critical situations. Such training is of particular importance for teams that operate under tight time constraints in highly stressful conditions, such as that found in medicine. Here we describe our first steps towards developing a virtual learning environment (simulation) specifically aimed at ICCT for pediatric critical care teams. Our virtual learning environment employs a tabletop computing platform with novel image-based sensing technologies to enable collaboration and interaction amongst a group of trainees while promoting a learner-centric approach where the simulation is tailored specifically to the needs of each trainee.

Program directors' perceptions of importance of pediatric procedural skills and resident preparedness.

BackgroundThe Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) objectives for training in pediatrics include 26 procedural skills, 11 of which are included in the final in-training evaluation report (FITER). The importance of each procedure for practice and the preparedness of pediatric residency graduates to perform these procedures are not known.MethodsA questionnaire was distributed to all pediatric residency program directors and members of the RCPSC Specialty Committee in Pediatrics (Nxa0=xa021) in October 2010, requesting them to rate the perceived importance and preparedness of graduating pediatric residents in all procedural skills on a 5 point Likert scale, as well as the presence of a curriculum and documentation for each procedure. Mean importance and preparedness were calculated for each procedure.ResultsResponse rate was 16/21 (76xa0%). Perceived preparedness was significantly lower than importance for the majority of procedures (pxa0<xa00.05). Ten procedures had a high mean importance rating (>3) but a low mean preparedness rating (<3). Presence of a curriculum and documentation for procedures varied across centers, and their presence was correlated with both perceived importance and preparedness (pxa0<xa00.0001).ConclusionsMany procedures in which pediatric residents are required to be competent by the RCPSC are felt to be important. Residents are not felt to be adequately prepared in several of the required procedures by the time of graduation. Procedures with high ratings of importance but low preparedness ratings should be targeted for curricular interventions.

Remote Mentoring of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Skills to Inexperienced Operators Using Multiple Telemedicine Platforms: Is a Cell Phone Good Enough?: Remote Mentoring of Point of Care Ultrasound

Telemedicine technology contributes to the teaching of point‐of‐care ultrasound (US); however, expensive equipment can limit its deployment in resource‐challenged settings. We assessed 3 low‐cost telemedicine solutions capable of supporting remote US training to determine feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness. We also explored the value of instructional videos immediately before telementoring.

The effects of stereoscopic 3D on knowledge retention within a serious gaming environment

We present the results of an experiment that investigated the effects of stereoscopic 3D viewing on knowledge retention with respect to a spatial interactive task within a serious game that was designed for fire safety training. Participants were trained to identify the safe distance to remain from a (virtual) fire in both stereoscopic 3D and non-stereoscopic 3D contexts. After a 24xa0h period, they were then tested to determine whether they retained the information that they were taught. Contrary to prior work that suggests stereoscopic 3D has an impact on knowledge retention, our results indicate no significant difference between knowledge retention in a stereoscopic 3D versus a non-stereoscopic 3D interactive environment. Although greater work remains to be done and no firm conclusions can be made regarding the use of stereoscopic 3D, our results have shown that stereoscopic 3D does not always lead to greater performance. Our results have implications for designers of serious games; the discussion and decision to use stereoscopic 3D should be incorporated early in the design phase and there should be some consideration placed on individualized calibration of stereoscopic 3D settings.