The overarching purpose of this project is to design and develop a system of virtual world simulations in order to facilitate the acquisition of clinical reasoning skills in nursing students.
In addition, it will investigate how to embed the technology in the curriculum and sustain the innovation beyond the life of the project by investigating the factors that influence the acceptance of the technology by academic nursing staff.
The project will be undertaken by eight academics from Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), two virtual world and education experts from the Australian Digital Futures Institute at USQ, and a nursing academic from the University of Auckland. A key objective will be to transfer emphasis to peer- and self-directed learning, with less reliance on preceptors and supervisors, as well as providing greater flexibility and access to off-campus students.
The project will introduce three virtual simulations in the virtual world of Second Life (e.g. cardiac, respiratory, and diabetes emergency scenarios), designed to enhance the development of clinical reasoning skills, to second-year nursing students. Students will be able to engage in the simulation alone or in a team.
Further, it will investigate the factors that affect dissemination of a technological innovation to the curriculum in an effort to promote sustainability of the endeavour.
Nurse academics will be asked to critically reflect on their experiences in incorporating the simulations into their teaching. Their attitudes and feelings towards the technology will be further teased out with semi-structured interviews.
The project will leverage USQ‟s early lead and considerable expertise in education in virtual worlds coupled with established reputation for provision of high-quality distance education across many disciplines but particularly nursing.
Helen