Authoring Virtual Patients – Content Creation on Mobile Devices

Luke Woodham, Sheetal Kavia, Terry PoultonSt George’s, University of London

To change the existing PBL curriculum, to create a more interactive, personalised model of course delivery with virtual patients at its core

To be delivered in the Transitional year between campus-based learning and clinical attachments, as Clinical PBL

Based on 18 adaptive and enriched interactive cases, with 36 formative assessments, integrated with social software/wikis for notes/reflections

Generation 4

• Optional formative self-assessment VPs, delivered on the web

• Related to the topic of the week, delivered at the end of each week

• Why? – Students concentrate on the PBL case of the week and not

the broader learning objectives– More exposure to a greater range of patient conditions

• The challenge: Poor take up of the self-assessment cases

Assessment Cases

SGUL Mobile Learning Survey

• Designed to poll and understand student use of

mobile devices

• What platforms/devices do they use?

• What features/functionalities do they use?

• Has been conducted annually since January 2010

MedAssess/MedEdCases• MedAssess

– Distributed internally for SGUL students from September 2011

– Staggered release of cases based around curriculum

• MedEdCases – Publicly available on Apple app store– Currently includes 39 cases

• Initially available for iOS devices. Android version made available September 2012

• Cases can be downloaded and played offline – no need for a permanent network connection

• All cases still available on the web so students without devices are not disadvantaged

Feedback

• Feedback gathered using an on-line survey

• Overall summary

• 97 students downloaded the app. Based on mobile survey,

320 students have iOS devices.

• Overall the app was scored 8/10

• 88% rated the app easy/very easy to use and none found it

difficult/very difficult.

• 82% agreed the content of the app was useful

• Was rated 4.2/5 for usefulness on average

Feedback

Creating VPs on Mobile Devices

• Currently all cases in the system are imported from other authoring systems using MVP standard– Time-consuming in terms of quality control and

need to check each case• Wanted to be able to author straight to

MedEdCases– Benefit from the advantages and intuitive user

experiences offered by mobile, multitouch devices