This project led to the development of the Simulated Person Methodology (SPM) program, a pan-universityinitiative now supported by the York University Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching and Learning, the Experiential Education Hub and the Teaching Commons. This university-wide initiative provides a unique, interactive learning experience—in the form of a workshop—for educators who are interested in using SPs in the classroom. Simply put, an SP is a person trained to portray a specific role in educational case scenarios. The workshop component of this initiative teaches faculty the principles of simulation and experiential learning, role writing, debriefing, and simulation facilitation. Faculty members can create a role for use in the classroom and work closely with trained simulators to refine these roles to meet curriculum and learning objectives; as well, they have an opportunity to facilitate simulated practice encounters, during which they receive coaching.
The research associated with this initiative has led to an innovative SP model to disseminate SPM within higher education to reach disciplines beyond health. The model includes workshops for faculty and the development of a 3-credit course “Reflective Practice Through Simulation” and has been published about in two international journals. The advantages of this model are myriad: The workshop trains educators from across disciplines in devising simulation scenarios and extending them into their classes, potentially expanding the use of simulation into disciplines where it is not used or is underemployed. This is noteworthy, as the high costs of simulation traditionally have dissuaded its use in undergraduate classrooms beyond the health disciplines.
FUNDED BY:
Academic Innovation Fund Category I – York University, 2016
Peisachovich, E., Nelles, L. J., Murtha, S., Popovic, C., Epstein, I., & Da Silva, C. (2017). Proposing an innovative and collaborative model to embed a simulated-person methodology program within higher education. Innovation in Teaching and Education International, Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/14703297.2017.1399808
Peisachovich, E. H., Nelles, L. J., Johnson, S*., Nicholson, L., Gal, R., Kerr, B., Popovic, C., Epstein, I., & Da Silva, C. (2017).Developing a simulated-person methodology workshop: An experiential education initiative for educators and simulators. International Journal of Higher Education, 6, 230–238. doi: 10.5430/ijhe.v6n1p230
Peisachovich, E., Nelles, L. J., Gal, R., Nicholson, L., Johnson, S., Gaitana, G., Bertram, M., Phillips, A., Gola, M., & Epstein, I. (2017, May). Using simulated-person methodology in the classroom: An experiential teaching-learning initiative for educators, learners, and simulators. The International Council of Nurses Congress, Barcelona, Spain.
Peisachovich, E., Gal, R. (2017, March). Understanding the experiences of nursing students when interacting with simulated patients: Case study design. The Third Annual Conference of Medical Education, Haifa, Israel.
Peisachovich, E., Gal, R., Nelles, L. J. (2017, January). An affordable model to sustain a simulated-person methodology program within higher education.The Third Annual Conference of Medical Education, Haifa, Israel.
Peisachovich, E., & Gal, R. (2017, January). Initiative to enhance experiential teaching learning through application of simulated-person methodology. The 17th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare, Orlando, USA.
Peisachovich, E., Nelles, L. J., Gal, R., Johnson, S., Gaitana, G., Bertram, M., Phillips, A., & Gola, M. (2017, June). Enhancing pedagogical practices through the application of simulated-person methodology. Canada International Conference on Education, Mississauga, ON.
Peisachovich, E., & Gal, R. (2016, May). Exploring the experience of undergraduate nursing students with human-simulation methodology as a form of experiential-education approach. Presented at the 2016 CASN Canadian Nursing Education Conference, Toronto, ON.