David Rojas

Measuring cognitive load: performance, mental effort and simulation task complexity

Interest in applying cognitive load theory in health care simulation is growing. This line of inquiry requires measures that are sensitive to changes in cognitive load arising from different instructional designs. Recently, mental effort ratings and secondary task performance have shown promise as measures of cognitive load in health care simulation.

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.

EEG-based assessment of video and in-game learning

People often learn game-related information in video games by taking turns playing and watching each other play. This type of in-game learning involves both observation and imitation of actions. However, games are also made to be learnt individually during gameplay. Our study seeks to assess which is more effective for learning: just playing a game yourself or watching somebody play it first. We compare two gameplay situations: playing a digital game before watching a game-play video and playing a digital game after watching a gameplay video. Using a between-participants design, to measure learning effectiveness we recorded Mu rhythms, which are indirectly linked to mirror neuron activation during imitation learning. We also analyze hemispheric frontal alpha asymmetry. Our results indicate that presentation order of the video game matters and players are more aroused when watching a gameplay video before playing.

What we call what we do affects how we do it: a new nomenclature for simulation research in medical education

Rapid technological advances and concern for patient safety have increased the focus on simulation as a pedagogical tool for educating health care providers. To date, simulation research scholarship has focused on two areas; evaluating instructional designs of simulation programs, and the integration of simulation into a broader educational context. However, these two categories of research currently exist under a single label—Simulation-Based Medical Education. In this paper we argue that introducing a more refined nomenclature within which to frame simulation research is necessary for researchers, to appropriately design research studies and describe their findings, and for end-point users (such as program directors and educators), to more appropriately understand and utilize this evidence.

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.

The Effect of Sound on Visual Fidelity Perception in Stereoscopic 3-D

Visual and auditory cues are important facilitators of user engagement in virtual environments and video games. Prior research supports the notion that our perception of visual fidelity (quality) is influenced by auditory stimuli. Understanding exactly how our perception of visual fidelity changes in the presence of multimodal stimuli can potentially impact the design of virtual environments, thus creating more engaging virtual worlds and scenarios. Stereoscopic 3-D display technology provides the users with additional visual information (depth into and out of the screen plane). There have been relatively few studies that have investigated the impact that auditory stimuli have on our perception of visual fidelity in the presence of stereoscopic 3-D. Building on previous work, we examine the effect of auditory stimuli on our perception of visual fidelity within a stereoscopic 3-D environment.

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.

Gamification and health professions education

Here we analyze and provide a description of our ongoing work that couples an online learning management system and gamification to provide an engaging and motivating learning experience for health professions students.

Hand tracking as a tool to quantify carpal tunnel syndrome preventive exercises

Various professions have an increased rate of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) given the reliance on regular and repetitive movements of the hand and wrist. With the widespread use of computing devices, the popularity of video games, and the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, the occurrence of CTS is increasing amongst the general public. Given the rise in CTS along with the corresponding implications including reduced workplace productivity and the reduction in the quality of life, there is significant interest in devising effective interventions to prevent CTS. Non-intrusive approaches include various hand stretching-based exercises that have shown to be effective. However, as with any exercise program, motivation to continue the program quickly decreases. Here we describe a hand motion tracking approach coupled with an engaging game-based 3D user interface (3DUI) to promote hand stretching exercises. The hand stretching exercises are tracked and feedback is provided to the user regarding the motions thus, ultimately helping the users to perform the exercise correctly. Preliminary results indicate that the system can be used to promote hand exercises in a fun, and engaging manner.

Customization of a low-end haptic device to add rotational DOF for virtual cardiac auscultation training

Cardiac auscultation is a cost-effective medical procedure used to examine the heart and obtain information regarding the hearts rate, rhythm, location timing, intensity, quality, and shape. Relying on visual, audio and haptic cues, it is a difficult skill to master and with the availability of various new diagnostic techniques, the emphasis on cardiac auscultation is decreasing in both education and practice settings. Traditional cardiac auscultation training is focused on memorizing various heart sounds and their corresponding diagnosis. Recent hardware and computational advancements are providing the opportunity to develop virtual-based medical simulations that employ a high level of fidelity and novel user-simulation interaction techniques using off-the-shelf consumer-level hardware and devices. However, these virtual applications are generally restricted to cognitive skills training given that the simulation of accurate haptic cues required to replicate the sense of touch (an important component of many medical procedures including cardiac auscultation), is still difficult and cost-prohibitive. Although several low fidelity and low-cost gaming-based haptic devices are currently available, they are generally restrictive and cannot provide the range of motions (degrees of freedom) required to simulate many medical procedures. Here we describe an approach to add rotational degrees of freedom to the Novint Falcon, a consumer level (gaming) haptics device, by coupling a smartphone and incorporating the smartphones accelerometer data to the haptics virtual controller. Our goal is to overcome the limitations associated with the limited degrees of freedom available on consumer level haptic devices and permit their use in medical technical skills-based simulation training with an affordable approach.