Rita Mojtahedzadeh

Introduction: The rapid global evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), combined with the shift toward e-learning in higher education, has made it more necessary than ever to equip faculty members with technological skills. The level of self-efficacy significantly influences technological competence in educational technology. This study aimed to translate and conduct a psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the Duke University School of Nursing's self-assessment of educational technology competencies: DUSAETCS for faculty members. Method: The psychometric properties of the DUSAETCS questionnaire, comprising 44 items, were evaluated. The original questionnaire was translated into Persian via back translation. Internal and external consistencies, factor analysis, and construct validity analysis were examined. Results: Of the initial 44 items, 26 were retained following the assessment of content validity using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI). The overall CVI and CVR were 0.79 and 0.99, respectively. The Persian version of the questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.92 for the total scale. Conclusions: The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the content validity and internal consistency of the Persian version of the DUSAETCS for assessing faculty members’ educational technology competencies in the context of e-teaching. Further psychometric evaluation, particularly assessment of construct validity and other reliability measures, is recommended before broader application of the instrument.

Purpose: To primarily examine the feasibility of implementing eye-tracking–based feedback within a virtual reality (VR) trauma simulation with realistically simulated emergency department interruptions, and to explore preliminary changes in situational awareness (SA) (primary outcome), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) performance, and trauma-management errors (exploratory outcomes) compared with conventional mannequin-based simulation.Methods: In this pilot randomized pretest–posttest study, 35 medical interns were assigned to VR training with eye-tracking heatmap feedback (n=17) or mannequin-based training with instructor verbal feedback (n=18). SA (modified Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique), ATLS checklist performance, and trauma-management error scores were measured before and after the intervention. Within-group changes were tested with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and between-group differences were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test on change scores (Δ=post−pre), with effect sizes reported as r.Results: Baseline pretest performance did not differ significantly between the groups. Both groups improved in SA and ATLS performance (all P<0.001) and reduced error scores (VR: P=0.004; mannequin: P<0.001). In exploratory between-group comparisons, the VR group showed numerically greater improvements in SA (mean change 6.59 vs. 3.11; P=0.006, r=0.46), ATLS performance (22.12 vs. 8.22; P=0.003, r=0.48), and error reduction (–9.36 vs. –3.61; P=0.005, r=0.47). Given the pilot design, these differences should be interpreted as preliminary signals.Conclusion: In this pilot study, both training modalities were associated with improved SA and ATLS performance and with fewer errors, with point estimates favoring the VR condition. These preliminary signals suggest that VR with eye-tracking feedback may be a promising option for trauma training in interruption-rich, emergency department-like settings and warrants further evaluation in larger studies.

In recent years, several studies have been conducted on the use of virtual laboratories for healthcare student education. Therefore, this study aimed to determine student assessment methods, identify content delivery methods, and determine the effectiveness of virtual or blended laboratories on healthcare student learning. This study was conducted using a systematized review method. After collecting keywords related to the research, synonyms were extracted from MESH and included in the search strategies, and multiple databases were searched from January 1, 2000, to August 1, 2023. All steps were performed using the PRISMA flowchart. Out of 1461 articles from different databases, 21 articles were eligible for inclusion in this review. In most studies, video formats (n = 18) were used to present content. The method of content presentation in most laboratory studies was purely virtual (n = 14). The greatest impact of laboratories was in the cognitive domain, and the least impact was in the psychomotor domain (practical skills). This study showed that virtual laboratories are as effective as traditional methods and, in some cases, are more effective compared to traditional teaching methods. Therefore, virtual laboratories can be used as an effective alternative or complementary tool for teaching laboratory sciences.

Background & Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medical education worldwide with several opportunities and challenges. This study aims to provide an overview of medical education's opportunities and challenges according to the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to guide future endeavors in conducting the teaching-learning process in post-COVID ...

Background: Clinical competence is essential for providing effective patient care. Clinical Governance (CG) is a framework for learning and assessing clinical competence. A portfolio is a work-placed-based tool for monitoring and reflecting on clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the effect of using an e-portfolio on the practitioner nurses’ competence improvement through the CG framework. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with 30 nurses in each intervention and control group. After taking the pretests of knowledge and performance, the participants attended the in-person classes and received the educational materials around CG standards for four weeks. In addition, nurses in the intervention group received the links to their e-portfolios individually and filled them out. They reflected on their clinical practice and received feedback. Finally, nurses in both groups were taken the post-tests. Results: Comparing the pre-and post-test scores in each group indicated a significant increase in knowledge and performance scores. The post-test scores for knowledge and performance were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control one, except for the initial patient assessment. Conclusion: This study showed that the e-portfolio is an effective tool for the improvement of the nurses’ awareness and performance in CG standards. Since the CG standards are closely related to clinical competencies, it is concluded that using portfolios effectively improves clinical competence in practitioner nurses.

Augmented reality has promised a new paradigm in medical education. Multimedia videos are the most preferred assent for augmentation. So, this study aimed to assess the effect of using an augmented reality infographic poster for delivering micro-videos on the knowledge and satisfaction of medical students in cardiology rotation. Sixty students participated in this quasi-experimental study and were allocated to three study groups; namely routine method, routine method plus offline micro-video delivery, and routine method plus micro-video delivery in an augmented reality infographic poster. The students' knowledge and satisfaction were evaluated through a multiple-choice question pre and post-test and a satisfaction questionnaire respectively. Within-group comparison of pre and post-test scores showed a significant increase in each study group (all p-values = 0.000). The highest post-test score was for the offline micro-video delivery group and pairwise comparisons of post-test scores showed a significant difference between this group and the control one (p-value = 0.013). Additionally, the augmented reality infographic poster group had the highest satisfaction score (p-value = 0.000). This experience showed the positive effect of micro-videos in clinical education. Although students were satisfied with accessing these videos through an augmented reality infographic poster, their knowledge acquisition was better when they received them offline.