EFFICACY OF SCREEN-BASED VIRTUAL SIMULATION IN NURSING EDUCATION: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Nursing education is increasingly incorporating virtual simulation-based experiences (SBE), to provide learners with realistic clinical scenarios. While existing literature supports the effectiveness of virtual simulations, there is a need for more evidence to establish their overall effectiveness compared to traditional manikin-based SBE. To address this knowledge gap, a pilot study was conducted, guided by Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and the NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory. The study compared the pedagogical effectiveness of virtual SBE with manikin-based SBE in terms of learner satisfaction, self-confidence, knowledge acquisition, skills development, and the transfer of learning to clinical practice. Participants (N = 30) were randomly assigned to engage in either a screen-based serious game or a manikin-based SBE, both with the same learning objectives and clinical indicators. Findings indicate that virtual serious games had less pedagogical effectiveness than manikin-based simulations in terms of learner confidence, knowledge acquisition, and critical thinking categories of learning. However, except for critical thinking aspects of learning of which manikin-based simulations were reported to be more effective, there was no statistically significant difference between the two modalities.