Technological Variety

The term “virtual simulation” is not well-defined and can mean different things to different people.  Rather than trying to provide a canonical definition, examples of the scope of activities that may fall under the umbrella term are provided. When discussing virtual simulation with others it is important to be as specific as possible about which modality and technology the educator has in mind. Describing virtual simulation in terms of fidelity (realism), immersion (level of interactivity) and how people are represented (e.g., videos or avatars) has been recommended (Cant et al., 2019).

In one sense, “virtual simulation” is used to describe physical simulation modalities (manikins, actors, or equipment) that are facilitated virtually, that is, by webconference. The term has also been used to describe an in-person simulation conducted in a room where images, typically of a certain environment, are projected on the walls to help the participants feel immersed in a certain scene. This makes use of Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) technology. Both physical simulation modalities and CAVE technology are beyond the scope of this book.

In another sense, and one that is the focus of this book, the simulation modality itself is virtual, with images, and interactions generated by computer software. This includes the suite of extended reality technologies (virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality), and screen-based simulations, which are rendered on a standard computer or tablet screen. The taxonomy of virtual simulation appears in Figure 1.1. This taxonomic tree depicts the breadth of activities that have been called “virtual simulation.” The modalities in green are the focus of this book; the ones in orange are outside of this book’s scope (though a virtual simulation may be enacted in real-time during a webconference, similar to telesimulation).

Definitions of the terms presented in the taxonomy appear when a term is selected.

Click here to download an accessible PDF version of Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1: Taxonomy of Virtual Simulation

Expert’s Corner: Virtual Simulation Examples

New to virtual simulation, and looking for some examples? Here are a few samples to illustrate some options. Note these are selected simply to illustrate a breadth of examples, and are not endorsements. Some are free or open and some are commercial examples. A more complete list of options is presented later in this chapter.

• Virtual Healthcare Experience. Video-based simulations for nursing students to practice decision-making in a variety of fields.
• Turbulent Sky. Virtual disaster response for paramedic, and nursing students to explore.
• CyberPatient. A virtual patient simulator for medical and nursing students to practice information gathering and analysis.
• Immersive Healthcare. Voice-controlled virtual reality simulations on personal protective equipment (PPE).
• REVIT from Autodesk. Create 3D models for construction, engineering or architecture, then third party apps can bring these into virtual or augmented reality.