The objective of this study is to assess the effects of virtual reality instructional design on physical therapy students' clinical decision-making skills, as compared with a traditional method of instruction with the same content and duration of exposure.
An online random number generator will be used to randomize students into one of two groups: virtual reality instruction or role-paying instruction. All students will complete self-reported measures of clinical decision-making and metacognitive awareness prior to receiving their allocated instruction. While completing allocated instruction (either virtual reality or role-playing), measures of diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic efficiency will be collected. Following virtual reality or role-playing instruction, all included subjects will complete post-test measures of clinical decision-making ,metacognitive awareness, and engagement. One week later, all included subjects will be assessed on a musculoskeletal objective structured clinical examination (mOSCE).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
59
60 minute immersive VR experience with branching method information delivery, physical therapy assessment, and diagnosis.
60 minute traditional role-playing with standardized patient
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia, United States
Change in clinical decision-making
The Clinical Decision-Making Tool (CDM-Tool), a Likert-style questionnaire with 12 items, scored on a four-point scale. A higher raw score indicates a higher level of perceived decision-making ability.
Time frame: pre- and post-instructional design (immediately after completing virtual reality or role-playing)
Change in metacognitive awareness
Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), a Likert-style questionnaire with 52-items, scored on a five-point scale. A higher raw score indicates a higher level of perceived metacognitive awareness.
Time frame: pre and post-instructional design (immediately after completing virtual reality or role-playing)
Self-reported measure of engagement
Six-item, five-point Likert-style instrument. A higher raw score indicates greater level of student engagement.
Time frame: Post-instruction (immediately after completing either virtual reality or role-playing experience)
Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
Practical examination with 2 cases, assessing a student's ability to generate hypotheses, perform tests or measures to rule-in or rule-out hypotheses, and deliver an appropriate intervention.
Time frame: 1 week following allocated instruction (either virtual reality or role-playing)
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