Learning in simulated environments: An assessment of 4-week retention outcomes

Simulations offer the benefits of a safer and more accessible learning environment, where learners can practice until the point of proficiency. While research into the effectiveness of simulations as learning tools has found tangible benefits, fewer studies have examined retention and differences between high and low fidelity simulations. This research sought to supplement the literature in this domain by investigating whether participants who learned to construct an electrical circuit using a 2D or 3D breadboard simulation could achieve comparable learning, transfer, and retention outcomes to those who learned using a physical breadboard. The influence of learner characteristics - cognitive ability and goal orientation - were also evaluated. This study had two parts: a cross-sectional portion that examined learning and transfer outcomes and a longitudinal portion that examined retention outcomes after a 2 and 4-week period. The cross-sectional analysis included 70 participants and the longitudinal analysis included 40 participants. The results found that the physical fidelity of the learning environment significantly impacted several transfer outcomes (construction and construction time) but not retention outcomes. Cognitive ability was a significant predictor of learning (gain score, circuit design score) and retention (posttest scores, construction time) outcomes. Learning goal orientation significantly predicted circuit construction over time and measurement occasion significantly predicted posttest scores and interacted with fidelity to predict circuit design score. The study demonstrated that simulated environments can lead to comparable, or better, proficiency than physical environments. These findings have implications for the design and implementation of simulated environments, specifically for courses delivered in an online setting.