Virtual M.D.: e-Learning Tool for Improving Health Science Literacy

虚拟医学博士：提高健康科学素养的电子学习工具

• 批准号: 7803497
• 负责人: Catherine Bruss
• 金额: $ 34.09万
• 依托单位: TERRA NOVA LEARNING SYSTEMS
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-15 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7803497
• 关键词: AIDS/HIV problem; Adolescent; American; Anatomy; Applications Grants; Asthma; Attention; Biological Sciences; Childhood Asthma; Communities; Companions; Complement; Computer Simulation; Computer software; Country; Curiosities; Data Analyses; Databases; Development; Diagnosis; Disease; Distress; Doctor of Medicine; Education; Educational Curriculum; Elements; Endocrinologist; Environment; Epidemiologist; Exercise; Family; Functional disorder; General Population; Global Warming; Grant; Guidelines; Health; Health Sciences; Health education; Healthcare; Instruction; Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus; Intervention; Learning; Left; Life; Life Style; Marketing; Measures; Medical; Medical Research; Medicine; Methods; Mission; National Center for Research Resources; Nutritionist; Obesity; Online Systems; Onset of illness; Overweight; Patients; Phase; Physiology; Preparation; Prevention; Preventive; Price; Process; Public Health; Qualifying; Recommendation; Research; Research Personnel; Resources; Role; Science; Signs and Symptoms; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Software Tools; Solutions; Stem Cell Research; Stream; Structure; Students; Summary Reports; Surveys; Technology; Teenagers; Teleconferences; Testing; TimeLine; Woman; Work; base; career; commercialization; design; evaluation/testing; evidence base; follow-up; human disease; improved; innovation; insight; interest; literacy; literate; meetings; middle school; minority health professional; novel; pediatrician; prevent; programs; prototype; public health relevance; research and development; response; science education; skills; success; teacher; tool; treatment planning; virtual; web site

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Only 28% of all Americans are considered scientifically literate [1], a distressing figure that leaves 72% of U.S. citizens ill-prepared to comprehend the substance of important issues such as stem cell research, global warming, or their own health-related conditions. Enhanced educational efforts are needed to improve the nation's scientific literacy and help more Americans keep pace with the rapidly evolving technological world. Terra Nova proposes to extend the successful research and development of the Phase I prototype, to produce an engaging software program that will strengthen the health science literacy of middle school students. Utilizing highly interactive technologies and evidence-based content, the web-based Virtual M.D.: Medical Sleuths end-product program (developed for the Virtual M.D.: e-Learning Tool for Improving Health Science Literacy grant project) will be designed to stimulate the interest of today's middle school students through interactive instruction and a "detective-type" process for finding solutions to contemporary real-world problems. Taking on the persona of a "virtual M.D." to study "virtual patients" represented by animated characters, students will apply the scientific method to analyze signs and symptoms to diagnose key human diseases relevant to adolescents. This engaging method of learning will promote an accurate understanding of several important diseases, improve scientific analytical and research skills, offer guidelines for healthy living, and inspire a greater interest in pursuing a healthcare or research career. The broad, long-term objective for Phase II is to completely develop and rigorously test the complete Virtual M.D.: Medical Sleuths interactive program for eventual dissemination to middle schools across the country. The Specific Aims to be met during Phase II are: AIM 1 - Expand the research and instructional design plan developed and validated in Phase I, for an interactive middle school software tool that will communicate health and scientific information about adolescent obesity, Type 1 diabetes, asthma, and HIV/AIDS; AIM 2 - Produce all program materials including the web-based virtual simulation, an online learning community, Career Highlight videos, assessment components, and companion materials; and AIM 3 - Thoroughly evaluate all Phase II deliverables through quantitative, qualitative, and descriptive assessment measures including Expert Consultant Group reviews and a comprehensive Field Test Evaluation. Through the Virtual M.D. unit, Terra Nova seeks to support the National Center for Research Resources' public health mission of promoting scientific literacy among K-12 students through discovery-oriented tools, provide education to help people "understand, detect, treat, and prevent" a wide range of diseases, and encourage lifelong interest in the field of science. The Phase II end-product program will both fill an unmet need in the middle school market, as well as contribute to NCRR's mission of providing an educational tool to improve the public's health science literacy. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: With only 28% of U.S. citizens qualifying as scientifically literate [1], national attention is sharply focused on identifying methods to improve Americans' understanding of and appreciation for key scientific concepts - so they may make better-informed decisions about the world around them. The proposed web-based Virtual M.D.: Medical Sleuths educational unit responds to this initiative by providing students at the middle school level with a creative, interactive, detective-type process for finding scientific solutions to real-life health problems. By giving students the opportunity to serve in the role of a "virtual M.D." to study, diagnose, and treat virtual patients, the unit will promote public health initiatives by: a) improving students' health science literacy, b) providing them with practical guidelines for preventing the onset of disease, c) familiarizing them with a variety of health-related career options, and d) further inspiring a lifelong curiosity about science and its applications.

描述（由申请人提供）：只有 28% 的美国人被认为具有科学素养 [1]，这一数字令人沮丧，导致 72% 的美国公民没有准备好理解干细胞研究、全球变暖或自身健康相关状况等重要问题的实质内容。需要加强教育工作，以提高国民的科学素养，帮助更多的美国人跟上快速发展的技术世界的步伐。 Terra Nova 提议扩展第一阶段原型的成功研究和开发，以开发一个引人入胜的软件程序，以增强中学生的健康科学素养。利用高度互动的技术和基于证据的内容，基于网络的虚拟医学博士：医学侦探最终产品计划（为虚拟医学博士：提高健康科学素养的电子学习工具资助项目开发）将旨在通过互动教学和“侦探式”过程来激发当今中学生的兴趣，以寻找当代现实世界问题的解决方案。扮演“虚拟医学博士”的角色通过研究以动画人物为代表的“虚拟病人”，学生将运用科学方法分析体征和症状，以诊断与青少年相关的主要人类疾病。这种引人入胜的学习方法将促进对几种重要疾病的准确理解，提高科学分析和研究技能，为健康生活提供指导，并激发人们对从事医疗保健或研究职业的更大兴趣。第二阶段的广泛而长期的目标是完全开发并严格测试完整的虚拟医学博士：医学侦探互动程序，最终传播到全国各地的中学。第二阶段要实现的具体目标是： AIM 1 - 扩展第一阶段开发和验证的研究和教学设计计划，建立一个交互式中学软件工具，传达有关青少年肥胖、1 型糖尿病、哮喘和艾滋病毒/艾滋病的健康和科学信息； AIM 2 - 制作所有计划材料，包括基于网络的虚拟模拟、在线学习社区、职业亮点视频、评估组件和配套材料； AIM 3 - 通过定量、定性和描述性评估措施（包括专家顾问组审查和全面的现场测试评估）彻底评估所有第二阶段可交付成果。通过虚拟医学博士单位，Terra Nova 致力于支持国家研究资源中心的公共卫生使命，即通过以发现为导向的工具提高 K-12 学生的科学素养，提供教育帮助人们“理解、检测、治疗和预防”广泛的疾病，并鼓励对科学领域的终身兴趣。第二阶段的最终产品计划既可以满足中学市场未满足的需求，也有助于实现 NCRR 提供教育工具以提高公众健康科学素养的使命。 公共卫生相关性：只有 28% 的美国公民具备科学素养 [1]，因此全国注意力集中在寻找方法来提高美国人对关键科学概念的理解和欣赏，以便他们可以对周围的世界做出更明智的决策。拟议的基于网络的虚拟医学博士：医学侦探教育单元响应了这一倡议，为中学阶段的学生提供了一个创造性的、互动的、侦探式的过程，以寻找现实生活中健康问题的科学解决方案。通过让学生有机会担任“虚拟医学博士”的角色。为了研究、诊断和治疗虚拟患者，该部门将通过以下方式促进公共卫生举措：a）提高学生的健康科学素养，b）为他们提供预防疾病发作的实用指南，c）让他们熟悉各种与健康相关的职业选择，d）进一步激发对科学及其应用的终生好奇心。