This is a project I did a number of years ago which I continue to use with my students now. Thank you to all of the volunteers and their altruism

1. Altruistic Avatars:
volunteering in the 3D virtual world
Evelyn McElhinney aka Kali Pizzaro

2. • Discuss the use of 3D virtual worlds for Clinical
Simulation
• Describe the process involved in recruiting,
training and working with volunteers in the 3D
virtual world
• Feedback mechanisms for students and
volunteers
• Results from exploratory study of volunteers
experience

3. What are 3D virtual worlds?
• 3D social networking multi user environment
(MUVE)
• Learner control - Users create a digital
representation of self (avatar)
• Immersive - immersed in the environment, subjective
feeling of presence and social presence,
• Sharable user generated digital contents
• Viewer required or web interface
(de Frietas 2008)

4. Users create avatars
Digital representation driven by humans
(Blascovich and Bailenson 2011).
Pictures Andy Whiteford

5. WHY?
• Learn diagnostic history taking
• No space in CSL lab
• Part time students - competing demands
on time
• Difficult to ensure 'protected learning
time' in clinical area
• Already using VW for PBL scenario

6. Solution
• Practise in class when able - scripted
patient
• nurse (student) - student (simulating
patient) –
• Remote practise in 3D virtual world lab
with scripted patient - nurse (student) -
student (simulating patient)
• Remote practise via automated bot -
http://bit.ly/9m8v5A
• Remote practise with remote

7. An exploratory study to determine volunteers experience of engaging
in sharing their real life health history with nurses in a virtual world
8 Volunteers – 4 in the pilot
Age range 32 – 74
All male

8. Ethical challenges
• To pay or not to pay, that is the
question?
• Are they volunteering?
• Keeping safe in the 3D virtual world

9. Recruitment

10. Practical challenges
• Must have access to computers that can
run the virtual world to teach volunteers
• You must know how to use the 3D VW
• Create simple guide or video
• Volunteers must have home access to a
newish computer and broadband (so must
you)!
• Provide headsets for voice

11. • Take volunteer history – remove diagnostic
indicators
• Ensure student/volunteer available
• Provide support via private instant Message
• Feedback from volunteer to student via voice
• Feedback to you – refine scenario
Setting up the scenario

12. Student feedback
Did this session feel any more authentic than your previous scripted session which was
played by an actor ? If so why?
Student 1: “It was good to speak to a patient with real
symptoms and able to take a real history. There were no
scripted answers. Also he had a number of problems which
is good as patients in hospitals can be complex”
Student 2: “I can see where this could be an issue for others,
but having experienced both a facilitator and a practice
patient I find no difference in authenticity. When I’m taking
a history in second life, it is easy for me to immerse myself
in the experience”

13. Virtual Patient Feedback
Anonymity
“I think generally, unless you are seeing the
student face to face, that this kind of technique
works better anonymously”

14. Immersion/Presence
Important area was authentic, however all would have
preferred consulting room as opposed to ward area
“It added to the realism of the situation It could be
adapted to a Health Visitors room or a GP’s surgery
depending on the student cohort”

15. Avatar identity
Embodiment
• Volunteer - All commented that they did not change
their avatar.
• However, noted that they did not look like default
avatars
• Nurse – no requirement for nurse to be in uniform,
could not remember what the nurse was wearing

16. Feelings about sharing history
“Enjoyed being involved, no
problem sharing health history”
“Happy to help, no qualms at all.
No different to going to a new
nurse”

17. Communication
• Via text or Voice
• Preference for text due to SL
voice problems and deafness

18. Support
“Important that Module Leader available to trouble
shoot any student or volunteer issues”
“To facilitate any queries with use of SL or
dialogue with student. Important to reflect what
happens in real lab”

19. Time to get comfy with 3D VW
• Average = 4 hours
•Volunteers practise on their own
and together by distance with or
without module leader

20. What happened next
Recruited more volunteers – including
international from within the VW
Increased diversity of disorders
Volunteers for inter-professional
scenarios and collaboration with
international colleagues
Students are given feedback at the end
of the session – include feedback
after reflection

21. References
• Blascovich, J and Bailenson, J (2011) Infinite
Reality : Avatars, Eternal Life, New Worlds,
and the Dawn of the Virtual Revolution,
HarperCollins e-books
• De Frietes, S (2008) Serious Virtual Worlds:
A scoping study (Jisc)
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/seriousvirtua