Developing simulations in multi‐user virtual environments to enhance healthcare education

Computer‐based clinical simulations are a powerful teaching and learning tool because of their ability to expand healthcare students' clinical experience by providing practice‐based learning. Despite the benefits of traditional computer‐based clinical simulations, there are significant issues that arise when incorporating them into a flexible, co‐operative and collaborative learning environment. Unlike traditional technologies; immersive multi‐user virtual environments such as Second Life can incorporate comprehensive learning materials with effective learning strategies, allowing healthcare students to obtain a simulated clinical experience in an immersive social environment. The purpose of this research was to investigate how a simulation could be optimised in Second Life to encourage teamwork and collaborative problem solving based on the habits, experiences and perceptions of nursing students towards Second Life as a simulation platform. The research was conducted by placing groups of nursing students in separate locations and exposing them to a series of clinical simulation developed in Second Life. The simulation involved a series of problem‐based scenarios, which incorporated concepts of technical skills, patient interaction, teamwork and situational awareness. Using qualitative feedback from a series of evaluative case studies, the study determined good practices and issues involved with a virtual computer‐based clinical simulation. A common theme which emerged from this research, which is discussed in this paper, was the student's ability to work in an artificial social structure where they could actively co‐construct mental models of technical and interpersonal skills through experiencing human interaction in a computer‐based simulated environment.