Games+Learning+Society 10 Conference

Building a better donkey: A game-based layered learning approach to veterinary medical education
Eric Bauman, Reid Adams, David Pederson, Greg Vaughan, Devon Klompmaker, Adam Wiens, Mike Beall, Jake Ruesch, Emanuel Rosu, Kevin Schilder, Kurt Squire


Background: 

Veterinary education faces many of the challenges associated with human medicine in terms of patient safety associated with clinical educational processes. In addition, veterinary clinical educational settings pose the additional challenges associated with clinician or student safety, particularly in the presence of large animals.

Problem:

Simulation provides a viable and often used mechanism to provide safe training opportunities for healthcare students associated with human clinical practice such as nursing and medical students. However, there are few mannikin-based simulators specific to veterinary education. Further, even when mannikin-based is available included in the curriculum; it affords only limited opportunity for deliberate practice.

Outcome/Discussion:

This paper will detail the research and development process used to create game-based mobile applications that support veterinary medicine, including a donkey anesthesia simulator. The process leverages a layered learning model where game-based learning prepares studentss for future mannikin-based simulation, and later real-world clinical experiences.