Background and objectives Medical and Healthcare education has relied heavily upon training for practice in the transitional period between science training on campus, and apprenticeship in clinical practice. Students learn to practise safely, before being exposed to the patient: they learn to apply their knowledge: learning reasoning, decision-making, interprofessional skills and patient management HI fidelity simulation suites would be ideal training devices but are costly. Collaborative learning such as problem-based (PBL), case-based (CBL), and team-based learning (TBL) has become more common practice. These activities use scenarios and inexpensive technologies to provide interactivity and realism. The most recent and popular of such learning activities is TBL, a high-quality, learner-centred experience, with independent learning, teamwork skills, and feedback through assessment. It is economically viable, with multiple teams in a single room facilitated by a teacher. Much of this teaching relied heavily on Face-to-Face contact, which is not possible now. With TBL,It is impractical with the technology available, to run large numbers of individuals and teams online with one facilitator. Clinical skills training has often been replaced by simple online learning, such as recorded lectures and videos. These resources lack pedagogical richness and learners and staff report ‘digital meeting burnout’. Pedagogically it is a backward step in student engagement and learning. Nevertheless, the crisis provided an opportunity to introduce more game-oriented exercises which match the changing expectations of generation Z students, who are more motivated by innovative education styles such as decision-based learning. Game-based approaches could even improve on pre-COVID-19 education, that was often locked into traditional hierarchies and group dynamics. Recent evaluation has established the value of a Medical Escape Room, using game-based training to enhance engagement, and to create experiential learning opportunities which mimic the challenges faced by professionals in practice. Following its needs analysis, the CLUEDUP project proposes to create an innovative online TBL also containing Escape Room elements, to form a Combined Learning Activity (CLA). This CLA, benchmarked against TBL requirements, will be a template which is adaptable to all commonly-used collaborative learning strategies, such as PBL, CBL, and Flipped Classroom. Profile of participants The 3 partners in CLUEDUP have participated in, or led, major Erasmus+ CB, KA and SP projects, mainly focused on Medical and Healthcare Education. All three have been leading universities in the development of Scenario-Based Learning, and all have strong research and pedagogical backgrounds in interactive, collaborative online learning. SGUL has a long history in PBL, SGUL and MU were partners in the TELSON SP project which made pedagogic improvements to TBL, and AUTH is already making progress in virtual EscapeRooms as a partner in ESCAPE4HEALTH. MU and AUTH have the strongest technical interests, SGUL leads in pedagogy. The partners have worked closely with a long history of success together. Description of activities/ methodology/results The CLUEDUP intends to provide the community with a scalable pedagogic framework to support embedding ER-style At least two CLA versions, termed Learning Suites, will be delivered: one for PBL, one for TBL. They will be constructed for three differ scenarios representing topics relevant to the pandemic. CLUEDUP will provide a training programme for faculty staff in the design and implementation of these resources, which will then be delivered as an online Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Impacts CLUEDUP capitalises on the innovation brought about by the flexible resource template, the CLA, and the tailored Learning Suites to offer a more competency-based approach to learning. For teachers it raises their awareness of the value of interactive scenario-based learning. For students it increases game-based engagement and provides online training that mimics more closely professional practice, and reduces the disengagement of passive online learning. For Policy makers it offers improved adaptation of courses to the challenges of pandemic. Potential Long term benefits The MOOC provides offers a high quality long-term resource that encourages social and collaborative learning. The advantages of a MOOC are that it can reach large numbers of learners with minimal facilitation and maintenance requirements, requiring little input for multiple runs and providing a sustainable output that can train the community effectively. The MOOC will leverage existing platforms and partnerships with large user bases to reach a large target audience with minimal additional marketing requirements. These global MOOC platforms allow learners to share their own experiences and make them relevant for local contexts.
CLUEDUP aimed to address medical and healthcare education challenges during the transitional period. Collaborative learning approaches like PBL, CBL, and TBL were adopted while the pandemic led to a shift to online learning, but resources lacked pedagogical richness. Game-oriented exercises were introduced to engage students and the effectiveness of medical Escape Rooms was explored within the project. The CLUEDUP project integrated Escape Room elements into these collaborative learning activities, creating adaptable CLAs. Objectives included needs analysis, scenario design, faculty training, evidence provision, and dissemination. Target groups' needs were met through transitional training and enriched skills training. In summary, the project aimed to enhance medical and healthcare education by implementing collaborative learning with elements from Escape Rooms. The focus was on designing and providing evidence on the use of learner-centred scenarios and delivery of replicable learning suites. The project catered to students, teachers, policymakers, and technologists, with a strong emphasis on dissemination through various channels to maximize its impact and promote excellence in healthcare education, such as the produced MOOC.
The consortium applied for this project due to the pressing needs identified in the education and healthcare sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgency of transitioning to digital remote training and learning. We aimed to address the lack of digital readiness and the dependency on face-to-face (F2F) skills training in healthcare. We recognized the need to embrace collaborative learning, innovative pedagogies and emerging digital technologies. Additionally, we sought to create a more complete online collaborative learning experience that would engage learners and overcome passive knowledge dissemination. By combining interactive online decision-making, collaborative learning activities, and the experiential learning opportunities offered by medical Escape Room games, we aimed to increase motivation and enhance learning outcomes. Furthermore, we aimed to promote equitable learning environments, addressing discriminatory practices. Overall, CLUEDUP aimed to support the development of key competencies in online teaching, enhance remote training of professional skills, and promote teaching excellence through the integration of immersive engagement and digital technologies.