Diego J. Rivera-Gutierrez

Shader Lamps Virtual Patients: The physical manifestation of virtual patients

We introduce the notion of Shader Lamps Virtual Patients (SLVP) - the combination of projector-based Shader Lamps Avatars and interactive virtual humans. This paradigm uses Shader Lamps Avatars technology to give a 3D physical presence to conversational virtual humans, improving their social interactivity and enabling them to share the physical space with the user. The paradigm scales naturally to multiple viewers, allowing for scenarios where an instructor and multiple students are involved in the training. We have developed a physical-virtual patient for medical students to conduct ophthalmic exams, in an interactive training experience. In this experience, the trainee practices multiple skills simultaneously, including using a surrogate optical instrument in front of a physical head, conversing with the patient about his fears, observing realistic head motion, and practicing patient safety. Here we present a prototype system and results from a preliminary formative evaluation of the system.

Towards a Reflective Practicum of Embodied Conversational Agent Experiences

A reflective practicum is a low-pressure, low-risk learning environment. In a reflective practicum a learner is educated in a professional practice and how to use reflection in the setting of that professional practice. An example of a low-pressure and low-risk learning environment is the use of embodied conversational agents (ECAs) in medicine to provide training for interviewing and diagnostic skills. However, such ECA experiences have not been used to teach how to use reflection in the setting of a professional practice. In this paper we present a framework that supports explicit reflective learning for ECA experiences. Using this framework, ECA experiences become a reflective practicum. This framework was applied to an ECA experience called the Neurological Examination Rehearsal Virtual Environment (NERVE), and created a sample experience called the NERVE Reflective Practicum (NERVE-RP). We conducted a user study in which second-year medical students (n = 76) used NERVE-RP and engaged in reflection based on the experience. The results of the user study show that students engage in valuable reflections during the experience including instances of critical reflection.

Exploring Gender Biases with Virtual Patients for High Stakes Interpersonal Skills Training

The use of virtual characters in a variety of research areas is widespread. One such area is healthcare. The study presented in this paper leveraged virtual patients to examine whether virtual patients are more likely to be correctly diagnosed due to gender and skin tone. Medical students at the University of Florida College of Medicine interacted with six virtual patients across two sessions. The six virtual patients comprised various combinations of gender and skin tone. Each virtual patient presented with a different cranial nerve injury. The results indicate a significant difference in correct diagnosis according to patient gender for one of the cases. In that case, female patients were correctly diagnosed more frequently than their male counterpart. The description of that case required that the virtual patient present with a visible bruise on the forehead. We hypothesize the results obtained could be due to a transfer of a real world gender bias.