Conversational Non-Player Characters for Virtual Training

Introduction The spouse has a special role in promoting the health of mothers and infants during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Women's health during pregnancy requires the participation and cooperation of their spouses. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of face-to-face and virtual prenatal care training of spouses on the pregnancy experience and fear of childbirth of primiparous women. Methods This is a quasi-experimental clinical trial that was conducted on primiparous pregnant women referring to three prenatal clinics in Tehran, Iran. Sampling was done by available method and pregnant women were divided into three groups of face-to-face training ( n = 35), virtual training ( n = 35), and control ( n = 33). The content of training program in the virtual and face-to-face groups was similar and included; nutrition during pregnancy, emotional support, fetal growth and development, advantages and disadvantages of vaginal delivery, planning for delivery, infant care, and danger signs for infants, which were presented in four sessions. The samples in the control group did not receive any training. In the 18th and 20th weeks of pregnancy, the demographic information form, pregnancy experience scale, and version A of the Wijma delivery expectancy/experience questionnaires were completed, and once again in the 37th and 38th weeks of pregnancy, the pregnancy experience scale and version A of the Wijma delivery expectancy/experience questionnaires were completed. Results There was a statistically significant difference in the mean score of pregnancy experience after the intervention between the face-to-face training and control groups ( p = 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean score of uplifts between the two groups of face-to-face training and control ( p = 0.01), and also between virtual training and control groups ( p = 0.02). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups of face-to-face training and control in terms of and hassles score after the intervention ( p = 0.04). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups of face-to-face training and control ( p = 0.02) and also between virtual training and control ( p = 0.04) in terms of the mean score of fear of childbirth after the intervention. Conclusion The results of this study showed that teaching prenatal care to spouses of primiparous women by face-to-face and virtual methods can be a useful intervention in improving the pregnancy experience and reducing the fear of childbirth among primiparous women.

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Predicting Teacher Use and Benefit from Virtual Training in Classroom-Level Positive Behavioral Supports

School Mental Health ◽

10.1007/s12310-021-09469-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elisa S. Shernoff ◽

Adam J. Lekwa ◽

Stacy L. Frazier ◽

Alban Delmarre ◽

Joseph Gabbard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Training ◽

Behavioral Supports ◽

Positive Behavioral Supports ◽

Teacher Use ◽

Classroom Level

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Student and educator perspectives on virtual institutional introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE)

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02698-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Omar A. Almohammed ◽

Lama H. Alotaibi ◽

Shatha A. Ibn Malik

Keyword(s):

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Training Experience ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Virtual Training ◽

Care Experience ◽

Face To Face ◽

Practice Experience ◽

Face To Face Learning ◽

The Government

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has required governments around the world to suspend face-to-face learning for school and university students. Colleges of pharmacy are faced with the challenge of training students in hospitals that are under considerable pressure at this time. The government of Saudi Arabia has moved all classes and training online to limit the spread of the virus. This study describes the experience of the Introductory and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE and APPE) students and preceptors engaged in the virtual IPPE training. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to describe and appraise the implemented virtual IPPE training from the experiences of IPPE and APPE students, and their preceptor. The IPPE students described their experiences in close-ended questionnaires, while APPE students in open-ended questionnaires, and the preceptor described the experiences in narrative. The study focused on highlighting the advantages, opportunities, challenges, and shortcomings of the virtual training. Results Two preceptors and seven APPE students participated in the preparation and administration of the virtual training. The IPPE students’ experiences, based on 87 respondents, were mostly positive. Although IPPE students enjoyed the time flexibility that allowed the learning of new skills and reflection on previous experiences, 15% experienced difficulty finding quiet places with a reliable internet connection or had difficulty working on team-based activities. Moreover, some were anxious about the lack of adequate patient-care experience. On the other hand, the APPE students found the experience enriching as they gained experience and understanding of academic workflow, gained skills, and overcame the challenges they faced during this virtual training experience. Conclusions Future training programs should be organized to overcome the challenges and to maximize the benefits of training experiences. Schools of pharmacy may benefit from the training materials constructed, prepared, and administered by APPE students to improve IPPE students’ learning experiences and outcomes.

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The Application of an Impedance-Passivity Controller in Haptic Stability Analysis

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11041618 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1618

Author(s):

Ping-Nan Chen ◽

Yung-Te Chen ◽

Hsin Hsiu ◽

Ruei-Jia Chen

Keyword(s):

Control Systems ◽

Force Feedback ◽

Training System ◽

Considerable Time ◽

Virtual Training ◽

Control Gain ◽

Negative Damping ◽

The Stability ◽

Time Required ◽

Stable Control

This paper proposes a passivity theorem on the basis of energy concepts to study the stability of force feedback in a virtual haptic system. An impedance-passivity controller (IPC) was designed from the two-port network perspective to improve the chief drawback of haptic systems, namely the considerable time required to reach stability if the equipment consumes energy slowly. The proposed IPC can be used to achieve stability through model parameter selection and to obtain control gain. In particular, haptic performance can be improved for extreme cases of high stiffness and negative damping. Furthermore, a virtual training system for one-degree-of-freedom sticking was developed to validate the experimental platform of our IPC. To ensure consistency in the experiment, we designed a specialized mechanical robot to replace human operation. Finally, compared with basic passivity control systems, our IPC could achieve stable control rapidly.

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From education to research: a journey of utilising virtual training

Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice ◽

10.1017/s1460396916000030 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 85-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Adéle Stewart-Lord

Keyword(s):

Patient Education ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Design Development ◽

Virtual Training ◽

Clinical Placements ◽

Information Giving ◽

Recent Innovation ◽

Students First ◽

Education Tool ◽

Number Of Publications

AbstractBackgroundLondon South Bank University (LSBU) has successfully implemented Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) across the therapeutic radiography training curricula and are now supporting the use of VERT for patient education in clinical departments. A number of publications have reported on the use of VERT in education and training; more recent literature has focused on the use of VERT for patient education.Materials and methodsThe successful introduction of VERT before students’ first clinical placements resulted in the development of a ‘Pre-Clinical week’ where students practice and improve their technical skills, using the hand controls without a patient present, leading to increased confidence in clinical practice. Other examples of VERT curriculum integration at LSBU focused on the use of VERT for anatomy teaching. The more recent innovation at LSBU relevant to VERT integration has been the design, development and implementation of collaborative research projects where the aims of the studies were to explore patients’ perceptions of VERT as an information giving resource before radiotherapy delivery.SummaryThe introduction of VERT as education tool has enabled academic staff to develop a range of teaching methods to embed virtual training into the traditional classroom setting, demonstrating innovation and collaboration.

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