Towards an enhanced conceptualization of fidelity for instructional design in simulation-based respiratory therapy education.

Despite the apparent centrality of fidelity to clinical simulation instructional design and practice in respiratory therapy education, it remains one of most contested constructs in the simulation literature. Fidelity has been described as educationally under-theorized resulting in an emphasis often being placed on technological sophistication rather than theory-informed design, particularly in respiratory therapy. This article critically examines various conceptualizations of fidelity in the field of clinical simulation in an effort to inform its instructional design practices.

The practice of simulation-based assessment in respiratory therapy education.

Clinical simulation has gained prominence as an educational approach in many Canadian respiratory therapy programs and is strongly associated with improved learning, clinical and nonclinical skill, future performance, and patient outcomes. Traditionally, the primary assessment approach employed in clinical simulation has been formative debriefing for learning. Contextual factors, such as limited opportunities for learning in clinical practice and technologically oriented perspectives on learning in clinical simulation, are converging to prompt a move from using formative debriefing sessions that support learning in simulation to employing high-stakes testing intended to measure entry-to-practice competencies.

Evaluation of traditional instruction versus a self-learning computer module in teaching veterinary students how to pass a nasogastric tube in the horse.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a self-learning computer module (SLCM) versus traditional instruction in teaching how to pass a nasogastric tube (NG) in the horse.

Design: A double-blind, monocentric study.

Sample Population: 52 third-year students in the DVM program were randomly assigned to two groups: traditional instruction (N = 25) or SLCM instruction (N = 27).