European Network on Virtual Simulation Online Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Network on Virtual Simulation Online

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

CONTEXT
European health care faculties have embraced simulation as a new pedagogy, offering learners a safe environment to apply knowledge, advance their skills and reflect on clinical decision-making. In this pioneering stage the European focus was mainly on developing high-fidelity simulation using manikins in a laboratory setting with hands-on or in-person experience in a clinical scenario and a debriefing session.
COVID-19 frequently suspends all hands-on teaching activities, including simulation. In the past months of “remote emergency teaching” little attention could be paid to a quick and sudden shift for hands-on simulation sessions. In this new era, a worthy online alternative needs to be offered to teachers and students to safeguard simulation pedagogy as critical educational component in practice-oriented curricula.

OBJECTIVES
ENVISION is a two-year strategic partnership with the objective to build digital education readiness of European faculty and students in accessible online virtual gaming simulation to replace or supplement hands-on simulation activities. In close collaboration with educational experts and a digital technology provider a high quality, inclusive digital education methodology will be created and used safeguarding the best practice standards of simulation.

PARTICIPANTS
ENVISION starts as a consortium of seven partners of five European Countries and one consortium of nursing faculties in partner country Canada.
European educational experts
– Arteveldehogeschool (AHS), Belgium, Ghent: University of Applied Sciences;
– Andragoski zavod Ljudska univerza Velenje (AZ LUV), Slovenia, Velenje: adult education provider;
– Universiteit Gent, (UGent), Belgium, Ghent: Research University;
– Universitat Rovira I Virgili (URV), Spain, Tarragona: Comprehensive University;
– Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS), Finland, Oulu: one of the largest Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland.

Digital technology provider
– Joubel: company behind H5P, which makes it easy for everyone to create and share interactive content with a great user experience, both for content creators and content consumers.

Partner Country:
– The Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University, Canada, Toronto: world leader in the development and research in Virtual Gaming Simulation.

ACTIVITIES
Envision will implement two generations of virtual gaming simulation (VGS), to be used in remote, blended and in-class teaching. VGS is a web-based and open access educational resource providing an enjoyable and engaging learning tool that promotes clinical reasoning and knowledge acquisition and enhances self-efficacy. Technology requirements are low: an internet connection is the only requirement.
In VGS standardized patients are used to act out simulated clinical scenario’s. Film clips provide realistic images of the clinical scene fortifying the fidelity of the simulation. These videos using live actors are combined with interactive gaming elements to heighten learner engagement.
A VGS can be played anywhere and anytime with repetitive play facilitating skill development. The VGS-platform creates possibilities to integrate the other effective parts of simulation: pre-briefing and debriefing.
In that context, a European digital technology framework will be created to integrate all the main components of prebriefing, scenario and debriefing in the VGS.
Teachers and students will be supported in their digital education readiness for the use and creation of VGS by two guidelines for use and creation of VGS.

METHODOLOGY
As overall strategy, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)-framework (Koehler & Mishra, 2006) will be used to share knowledge and create innovative solutions in this relatively new educational field. At the heart of the TPACK model, is the complex interplay of three primary forms of knowledge: Content, Pedagogy and Technology.
We use this framework to assembly VGS-TPACK-teams who will use a train-the-trainer concept to become a champion in the use and creation of VGS.

IMPACT
On its completion, ENVISION will have made the first European VGS on health care topics relevant for European health care education. This will be embedded in an open access educational resource with guidelines on the use and the creation of VGS, creating the term ‘ENVISION’ or ‘European Network on VIrtual Simulation Online’. VGS can replace or supplement the hands-on simulation activities as it can be used in remote learning and integrated in blended learning. ENVISION is supported by a strong north-south and west-east axis to cover dissemination and offer students international learning experiences from different health care settings in an era where learning mobility can be limited.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 225625 Eur

Project Coordinator

ARTEVELDEHOGESCHOOL & Country: BE

Project Partners

• OULUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• Andragoski zavod Ljudska univerza Velenje
• UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI
• RYERSON UNIVERSITY
• UNIVERSITEIT GENT
• Joubel AS