Assessing Medical Students' Performance, Cognitive Load, and Usability Between Two Virtual Simulation Modalities (Poster 24)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Fourteen
  In Poster Session: Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Virtual simulations, either screen- or headset-based, provide medical students with the ability to practice patient care without the personnel and equipment costs of non-virtual, in-person simulations. Limited work exists to provide guidance concerning which modality type (screen-based or headset) offers an optimal learning and interaction experience. The present, on-going study, compared medical students’ performance, ratings of usability and cognitive load between the two modalities using the same virtual simulation. Findings show that both modalities yielded similar performance scores and were comparable in usability. We also show that intrinsic and extrinsic cognitive load are comparable between modalities while germane load is higher in screen-based VS. Preliminary results suggest that medical educators might want to select screen-based modalities for virtual simulation training.

Authors

• Sayed Azher, McGill University
  Presenting Author

• Elif Bilgic, McMaster University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Keerat Kaur Grewal, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jason Matthew Harley, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author