Abstract:
A challenge in the discipline of Psychology is the teaching of clinical and transferrable skills, which often involves guided practice in real-time. Transferrable skills, in particular, including organisational acumen, social intelligence, personal characteristics and work competence (Caballero, Walker, & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, 2011), are often the least addressed in Higher Education, and evidence from employers reveals that currently there is a gap between the skills graduates possess and the demands of industry (Hart, 2008; Jackson & Chapman, 2012). The challenge to teach these skills is greater in online courses of study, which are required to adopt a flexible approach to teaching and learning (Bolliger & Martindale, 2004).
To address this challenge, a series of Immersive Multimedia Activities (IMAs) in ethical decision-making were created for students in the fully online 4th year qualification in psychology, the Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced (GDPA) that can be completed asynchronously, i.e. in students’ own space and time. These activities showcase three different simulated case scenarios brought to life via video, which students and interact with and work through to develop their ethical decision-making skills.
The aim of the current project is to evaluate the extent to which the IMAs, compared to static text-based activities, improve students’ engagement with the learning material, immersion with the case scenarios, enjoyment for learning, and experience with work-integrated learning. An experimental mixed-methods design is adopted, with both quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysed for each of the three ethical decision-making scenarios. Participants are students studying Ethics in the Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced. Students are divided into two groups, and will receive either the 3 IMAs, or the text-based version of the same 3 scenarios, to work through. They will then answer questions that assess Engagement, Immersion, Enjoyment, and Experience with the activities. It is anticipated that the results will demonstrate the superiority of these activities, and establish the return on investment gained by advancing pedagogy using simulation and contemporary technologies.
To address this challenge, a series of Immersive Multimedia Activities (IMAs) in ethical decision-making were created for students in the fully online 4th year qualification in psychology, the Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced (GDPA) that can be completed asynchronously, i.e. in students’ own space and time. These activities showcase three different simulated case scenarios brought to life via video, which students and interact with and work through to develop their ethical decision-making skills.
The aim of the current project is to evaluate the extent to which the IMAs, compared to static text-based activities, improve students’ engagement with the learning material, immersion with the case scenarios, enjoyment for learning, and experience with work-integrated learning. An experimental mixed-methods design is adopted, with both quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysed for each of the three ethical decision-making scenarios. Participants are students studying Ethics in the Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced. Students are divided into two groups, and will receive either the 3 IMAs, or the text-based version of the same 3 scenarios, to work through. They will then answer questions that assess Engagement, Immersion, Enjoyment, and Experience with the activities. It is anticipated that the results will demonstrate the superiority of these activities, and establish the return on investment gained by advancing pedagogy using simulation and contemporary technologies.