David Chodos

Healthcare education with virtual-world simulations

Becoming a skilled professional requires the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and the practice of skills under the guidance of an expert. The idea of learning-through-apprenticeship is long accepted in medicine and, more generally, in the health sciences, where practicum courses are an essential part of most curricula. Because of the high cost of apprenticeship programs -- mentors can usually supervise few trainees and trainees may need long apprenticeship periods - simulation has long been adopted as a learning-by-doing training method that can supplement apprenticeship in many professional and engineering programs, including the health sciences. In this paper, we describe our experience developing virtual world-based training systems for two healthcare contexts. In one, procedural training was emphasized, while the other focused on teaching communication skills. In each case, we developed a custom set of tools to meet the needs of that context. We present an analysis of the case studies, and lessons drawn from this analysis.

Software engineering for health education and care delivery systems: The Smart Condo project

Providing affordable, high-quality healthcare to the elderly while enabling them to live independently longer is of critical importance, as this is an increasing and expensive demographic to treat. Sensor-network technologies are essential to developing assisted living environments. In our Smart Condo project, we have deployed a sensor network with a variety of sensor types in an 850 square-foot condominium. The sensor network records a variety of events and environmental parameters and feeds the related data into our web-based system. This system is responsible for inferring higher-order information about the activities of the condos occupant and supporting the visualization of the collected information in a 2D Geographic Information System (GIS) and a 3D virtual world, namely Second Life (SL).

The smart condo: visualizing independent living environments in a virtual world

Providing affordable, high-quality healthcare to the elderly while enabling them to live independently longer is of critical importance. In our Smart Condo project, we have deployed a wireless sensor network in an 850-square-foot condominium for assisted living. The sensor network records a variety of events and environmental parameters and feeds the related data into our web-based system. This system is responsible for inferring higher-order information about the activities of the condos occupant and visualizing the collected information in both a 2D Geographic Information System (GIS) and a 3D virtual world. The architecture is flexible in terms of supported sensor types, analyses, and visualizations through which it communicates this information to its users, including the condos occupant, their family, and their healthcare providers.

Developing interprofessional health competencies in a virtual world

BACKGROUND Virtual worlds provide a promising means of delivering simulations for developing interprofessional health skills. However, developing and implementing a virtual world simulation is a challenging process, in part because of the novelty of virtual worlds as a simulation platform and also because of the degree of collaboration required among technical and subject experts. Thus, it can be difficult to ensure that the simulation is both technically satisfactory and educationally appropriate. METHODS To address this challenge, we propose the use of de Freitas and Olivers four-dimensional framework as a means of guiding the development process. We give an overview of the framework and describe how its principles can be applied to the development of virtual world simulations. RESULTS We present two virtual world simulation pilot projects that adopted this approach, and describe our development experience in these projects. We directly connect this experience to the four-dimensional framework, thus validating the frameworks applicability to the projects and to the context of virtual world simulations in general. CONCLUSIONS We present a series of recommendations for developing virtual world simulations for interprofessional health education. These recommendations are based on the four-dimensional framework and are also informed by our experience with the pilot projects.Background: Virtual worlds provide a promising means of delivering simulations for developing interprofessional health skills. However, developing and implementing a virtual world simulation is a challenging process, in part because of the novelty of virtual worlds as a simulation platform and also because of the degree of collaboration required among technical and subject experts. Thus, it can be difficult to ensure that the simulation is both technically satisfactory and educationally appropriate. Methods: To address this challenge, we propose the use of de Freitas and Olivers four-dimensional framework as a means of guiding the development process. We give an overview of the framework and describe how its principles can be applied to the development of virtual world simulations. Results: We present two virtual world simulation pilot projects that adopted this approach, and describe our development experience in these projects. We directly connect this experience to the four-dimensional framework, thus validating the frameworks applicability to the projects and to the context of virtual world simulations in general. Conclusions: We present a series of recommendations for developing virtual world simulations for interprofessional health education. These recommendations are based on the four-dimensional framework and are also informed by our experience with the pilot projects.BACKGROUND Virtual worlds provide a promising means of delivering simulations for developing interprofessional health skills. However, developing and implementing a virtual world simulation is a challenging process, in part because of the novelty of virtual worlds as a simulation platform and also because of the degree of collaboration required among technical and subject experts. Thus, it can be difficult to ensure that the simulation is both technically satisfactory and educationally appropriate. METHODS To address this challenge, we propose the use of de Freitas and Olivers four-dimensional framework as a means of guiding the development process. We give an overview of the framework and describe how its principles can be applied to the development of virtual world simulations. RESULTS We present two virtual world simulation pilot projects that adopted this approach, and describe our development experience in these projects. We directly connect this experience to the four-dimensional framework, thus validating the frameworks applicability to the projects and to the context of virtual world simulations in general. CONCLUSIONS We present a series of recommendations for developing virtual world simulations for interprofessional health education. These recommendations are based on the four-dimensional framework and are also informed by our experience with the pilot projects.

Developing a virtual-world simulation

Simulation-based training has been an integral part of health-sciences education for many years, and is becoming increasingly important with the shift towards competency-based education. Virtual worlds have emerged as an effective way to deliver realistic, collaborative training in complex processes, which is consistent with competency-based training and assessment. We have developed MeRiTS, a virtual world-based platform for creating training simulations, to provide students in a wide range of disciplines with this kind of training. Furthermore, through these student training experiences, we will be able to provide a rigorous, comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of conducting scenario-based training in virtual worlds. In this paper, we briefly present the MeRiTS architecture, and the underlying theories, components and models that support the system. We then present a detailed description of our most mature scenario, which trains paramedics in proper rescue and patient handoff procedures. We also provide an in-depth discussion of the development process for this scenario, and conclude with some lessons learned from the experience.

Second Life Gift Registry: Bringing Retail Web Applications into the Metaverse

The combination of realistic virtual environments and product information offers a compelling new medium for consumers to shop for products. Specifically, by combining the experience of exploring a virtual house with retail information on items in that house, a consumer can virtually populate a house with desired items. This is particularly appealing for people, such as a couple getting married, who are looking to furnish an entire house with newly-purchased items. The system proposed in this paper provides this combination of realistic, 3D visualization and detailed product information. It uses second life to provide the realistic user interface, and a REST-style Web-based application to create connections between this platform and publicly-available retailer APIs. In cases where a retailer API is unavailable, HTML wrapping may be used to obtain equivalent information. The economic viability of the concept is examined through a business case study.

ARC-UI: Visualization Tool for Associative Classifiers

The classification of an unknown item based on a training data set is a key data mining task. An important part of this process that is often overlooked is the users comprehension of the classifier and the results it produces. Associative classifiers begin to address this issue by using sets of simple rules to classify items. However, the size of these rule sets can be an obstacle to understandability. In this work, we present an interactive visualization system that allows the user to visualize various aspects of the classifiers decision process. This system shows the rules that are relevant to the classification of an item, the ways in which the items characteristics relate to these rules, and connections between the item and the classifiers training data set. The system also contains a speculation component, which allows the user to modify rules within the classifier, and see the impact of these changes. Thus, this component allows the user to contribute domain expertise to the classification process, consequently improving the accuracy of the classifier.

Creating healthcare training simulations in virtual worlds

Virtual worlds offer a rich, flexible platform for creating immersive, interactive training simulations. In this paper, we describe two different platforms that rely on the same virtual world (OpenSim) to deliver different types of simulation-based learning experiences for health professionals.

Using virtual worlds for scenario-based training

In this thesis, we present a novel, robust virtual world-based educational platform. The framework provides scenario definition and execution capabilities that support the creation and delivery of a wide range of virtual world-based training scenarios. The components built upon this framework, meanwhile, include a set of recording and analysis tools that enable the instructors to assess students’ behaviour in a comprehensive manner. We also present several empirical evaluations that provide evidence of the framework’s utility and educational relevance. Through a case study in an EMT training context, we provide support for the functionality of the framework in delivering a collaboration-focused training scenario. In a marketing case study, we provide a demonstration of the range of analysis capabilities incorporated into the system. Finally, working within an ER context, we provide evidence of the educational impact of a scenario developed with the framework.