An educator's toolkit for virtual simulation: A usability study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Educational Technology

Background:

• COVID-19 accelerated adoption of virtual simulation in education, often without adequate pedagogical training.
• A gap in resources for effective virtual simulation pedagogy was identified.
• An interprofessional team developed the free, online Virtual Simulation Educator's Toolkit to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability and utility of the Virtual Simulation Educator's Toolkit.
• To gather feedback for improving the Toolkit.
• To assess the perceived ease of use and usefulness of the Toolkit among experienced educators.

Main Methods:

• A three-step usability study was conducted with 20 experienced virtual simulation educators.
• Participants completed a survey based on the Technology Acceptance Model.
• One-on-one interviews were conducted to gather qualitative feedback.

Main Results:

• The Toolkit received a 90% score on the Toolkit Experience Survey, indicating high ease of use and utility.
• Interview data highlighted an urgent need for practical professional development tools in virtual simulation.
• Participants provided recommendations for Toolkit improvement.

Conclusions:

• The Virtual Simulation Educator's Toolkit is a practical and accessible professional development resource.
• The Toolkit can benefit educators across various disciplines and experience levels.
• The findings underscore the importance of supporting educators in virtual simulation pedagogy.