Overview

The next generation of learning technologies will include environments that support interaction, collaboration, active learning, and team training.  During the past ten years, researchers from multiple disciplines (Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Biocomputation, and Medical Informatics) have been working collaboratively to explore both anatomy and basic surgery through simulated environments.  While books, lectures, and multimedia are important routes to this learning, the acts of touching, feeling, and manipulating are also essential in the training of new clinical practitioners. Simulation systems have heretofore enabled individuals to improve their performance skills, but healthcare professionals are individuals who work in teams focused on restoring patient health.  Learning technologies for team learning, following the new emphasis on Games for Health, have their antecedents in games for entertainment.  This workshop will explore the following:

• Why games?

Medical educators worldwide are exploring ways to build on new models of medical education.  Why now?  What is driving the change? Several of the speakers will present their ideas on why games are critical to this new model of medical education.

• Successful game scenarios

America’s Army has had over a million downloads. Surgical residents who play Monkey Ball perform better of tests of surgical skill. What makes these and other games successful?

• Components of a game

Established video game designers will share their experience in game design.

Our intent in this initial workshop-in-a-series is two-fold:

• Dissemination of new knowledge about simulation and game-based learning,

• Building a community linking academia, industry and government through face-to-face workshops, and online through our website.