Implementation |
Acceptance | Implementing virtual activities requires faculty and student acceptance. | Provide experiential training. Measure satisfaction, and address areas of concern. |
Technological integration | Integrating the new technology tools so that they complement the existing technology framework. | Consider classroom equipment and student mobile technology. Train students and faculty to access Web-based accounts or download applications for game and simulation activities. |
Technology glitches | Technology issues may occur during initial sessions. | Pilot the activities to work out the technology bugs. Rehearse before classroom use. |
Rights-free images | Virtual cases require rights-free images. | Publish precise faculty guidelines regarding use of permissioned images. |
Mobile applications | Mobile applications must work on many platforms. | Ensure that mobile activities publish to iPhone, Android, iPad, and other tablets. |
Pedagogical |
Faculty role | Faculty can feel displaced during technology-enhanced learning. | Prepare faculty for their important role as facilitators during TEAL-MEd activities. Provide guidelines and instructions. |
Feedback | It is important to provide rich feedback to students. | Ensure that games or activities provide students with immediate feedback and a terminal score. |
Variety | Students easily burn out when 1 type of learning activity is overprescribed. | Provide a variety of TEAL-MEd activities. |
Deep learning | Case simulation activities 5 to 10 minutes in length are sometimes too brief for deep learning. | Change brief clinical decision games to longer case discussions or add other extension exercises such as study questions, debriefs, and replay opportunities. |
Motivation | How do we motivate students to apply effort to practice through virtual cases in nongraded situations? | Schedule short and focused activities, and implement them during in-class activities. |
Research |
Control groups | How do we set up experimental control groups in the classroom? | Use natural control groups and crossover designs so that curriculum delivered is equitable. |
Video recording of classroom activities | Obtaining digital media of game play requires careful planning and consent. | Develop a consent protocol acceptable to the institutional review board. Obtain written consent from students and other stakeholders. |
Avoiding survey fatigue | Alternative tools are needed to obtain feedback from students. | Add specific questions to course evaluations. Observe students during interactive sessions using observation protocols. |
Measuring learning gain | How do we measure improvement after a single class session? | Design studies to obtain at least 4 sessions of student use with each media. |
Proof of efficacy | It takes a long time to complete multiple iterative cycles of research to prove learning gains. In each cycle, the team must work out flaws in the game or research design. | 1. Use PDSA cycles to collect 3 types of data: (a) feasibility of new TEAL-MEd intervention (b) learning gain, or affective change (c) change in clinical behavior 2. Use mixed-methods research to triangulate findings. |