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=Using virtual world to fill the gap of Health Professionals for Allied Health workers practicum’s=

 Penny Neuendorf Educational Designer and Teacher Centre for Health Community and Wellbeing Canberra Institute of Technology October 2009

=Background = Students undertaking the Allied Health Assistants qualification over a two year part time program delivered at the Canberra Institute of Technology are required to participate in an industry placement or practicum. These practicum placements are generally at hospitals, aged care facilities and private practices. It is often hard to find placements for students that fit in with the demands on students, institutes and placement providers. Using a virtual world environment for part of this placement is expected to help alleviate the pressures on placement providers and give students the opportunity to work alongside professionals in a simulated workplace environment. The Virtual Worlds in Health Education project is developing an innovative ways to meet not only the practicum needs but also to help teach and assess communication and industry skills of students undertaking the HLT07 qualifications. This project is funded by the **Targeting Skills Needs in Regions** Scheme, a Council of Australian Governments initiative. =Design = The Virtual Worlds in Health Education world has been set up as a tool to support learning. The virtual rehabilitation centre and the refuge have been designed to support the training of Allied Health Assistants. The refuge is designed as a house to represent home visits and the rehabilitation centre is similar to a hospital or private centre. The world is designed to replicate a genuine work place environment. In this deeply immersive environment, teachers can replicate preferred work place practice, engender workplace culture and encourage ethical growth. Avatar (3D representation of a person) have been designed to look and act like client/patients and workplace professionals that Allied Health workers could encounter in their workplaces. Scenarios (role-plays) have been designed using a three layer pedagogical approach. The three layer model includes: 1. Scaffolding layers 2. Blended and Situated learning layer 3. over aching Debriefing layer. Scaffolding in education works like scaffolding in the construction industry. In construction it is used to support a structure as it is being built but is taken away when the building is completed. The scaffolding model is used to develop students into a self-reliant learner and the achievement of competency (Pahl 2002) The scenarios are designed in a constructivist model (Darvasi 2008): · The scenarios are authentic and the learning goal encourages “ownership” by the learner · Understanding is developed through interactive experiences in an authentic learning environment <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Knowledge evolves through social negotiation and collaborative learning <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Learners are aided by scaffolding and “just in time” information Wilson (2008) expands on this model with the addition of: <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Extending student understanding – teachers sequence activities, provide individualized support and guidance, and allow students necessary time to process and benefit from the support. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Temporary support – Scaffolds will decrease in level and intensity as students construct their own connections and understanding. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Focus – Tasks must satisfy curriculum requirements but they must also be designed to meet the needs of a variety of learners at different levels. By starting our scenarios at a basic level and building to an advanced level we have been able to incorporate all of the effective scaffolding criteria (Wilson 2008) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">1. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Intentionality: The task has a clear overall purpose to the learner requiring individual contribution to the whole <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">2. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Appropriateness: Instructional tasks should build upon prior knowledge and should be appropriately challenging to the student <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Structure: The learning environment is structured to present appropriate approaches to the task and lead to a natural sequence of thought and language <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">4. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Collaboration: The teacher’s primary role is collaborative rather than evaluative as tasks are solved jointly in the course of instructional interaction <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">5. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Internalization: As students internalize new procedures, external scaffolding for the activity is gradually withdrawn. Using a virtual environment with teacher interaction we have used two types of scaffolding (Wilson, 2008). //Designed In Scaffolding// we have sequenced our activities to connect previous knowledge to new knowledge and //Point of Need Scaffolding// our scenarios and interactions are designed that they can be paused if a teacher recognises a “//teacher moment//”, this allows questions to be answered, concepts to be pointed out and assistance given if needed. In keeping with Wilson’s (2008) //Designed in scaffolding// model we have developed three scaffolding layers: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">1. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The first layer is for support with learning scenarios, teaching the participants how to move and function in a virtual environment. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">2. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The second layer starts with simple one to one scenarios, these can be with or without teacher participation to help the participants to become immersed in the roles and be able to develop their role playing skills in a safe, non judgemental environment. As the course and the complexity of the material increases, one to one scenarios can also increase in complexity. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The third level of scaffolding is where the support starts to be removed, the participant gets the opportunity to “show off” these skills and knowledge, in more complex multiplayer scenarios. All scenarios have a holistic approach to assessment and all scenarios are set in rich workplace-based environment. The more complex multiplayer scenarios can be used for whole competency assessment or for the recognition of prior learning and re-used (as in the debriefing) to peel back the layers of the experience and various learning ‘moments’. Teacher training to facilitate and train in a virtual environment has also a scaffolding component. This process starts with the teacher participating in simple scenarios, with lots of instructor support, and moving to them designing and delivering multiplayer scenarios.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Scaffolding layer (Constructivism) **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">By designing our virtual environment to be a legitimate workplace the participants will become involved in a “community of practice” (Wenger 1998) A “community of practice” has three crucial characteristics: <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The domain <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">in this environment the participants have a shared goal - to develop knowledge and skills for a set outcome <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">All participants come to the virtual environment with their own sets of skills and knowledge (ranging from beginners to professionals) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">as a collective they have the range of skills and knowledge to achieve a particular outcome <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The community <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">within the environment and the scenarios the participants engage in joint activities and discussion <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">These environments enable all participants to build relationships that enable them to learn from each other <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The practice <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">In this case, bringing together a group of practitioners (who are at different stages in their development, skills and knowledge) who are able to share ideas and resources <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The practice is evident in the experiences, stories and software tools that are used to help achieve an outcome. Ergo, a shared practices. Wenger (1998) This is not a new theory (Lave and Wenger 1991) called the process “legitimate peripheral participation”. Essentially, legitimate peripheral participation means that when you put professionals and beginner together, the beginner will learn by watching and working with the professional. One of the driving forces behind this project was the lack of practicum places for the Allied Health Assistant students. By setting up legitimate scenarios in a workplace environment and inviting professionals from around the country to participant in the skill and knowledge development and to help with the assessment process, the number of hours for practicum in a hospital, private practice or nursing home can be reduced, which has the added bonus of alleviating pressure on participants. This situated learning or experiential learning also encourages serendipitous learning, meaning that while the students/participants are in a world playing in a scenario they will learn and develop skills without knowing it, this is where the debriefing stage is important to highlight these skills and bring them to the students/participants attention. Professionals will also refine their skills as teaching (mentoring) is an effective way of learning. The scenarios are based around 1st, 2nd and 3rd person perspectives. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">1st person perspective is when the student ‘walks in the shoes’ of their client. For example, the student experiences what it is like to have tunnel vision. This means that their computer screen presents an all black view with a clear viewing area in the centre of the screen. The student has to do exaggerated movements to be able to fulfil their set tasks <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">2nd person perspective allows the student to interact with clients in a safe environment <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">3rd person scenarios allow students get to observe (watch and learn) the interaction of other students or guest professionals <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The virtual world component of learning in this instance is using a blended delivery model. The briefing part, prior to in world activities, is the building of the underpinning knowledge. This part can be delivered in either a classroom, online or by distance based model. Students are briefed on their role in the scenarios. The student is then required to research the characteristics of their role so they will be able to act appropriately in the role play. The post scenario debrief is the most important part of the learning. This is where critical reflection is employed. Brookfield’s (Brookfield 1995) model of critical reflection focuses on three interrelated processes; <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">1. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The process by which adults question and then replace or reframe an assumption that up to this point has been uncritically accepted as representing commonsense wisdom <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">2. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The process through which adults take alternative perspective on previously taken for granted ides, actions, forms of reasoning and ideologies, and <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The process by which adults come to recognise the hegemonic aspects of dominant cultural values and understand how self-evident renderings of the ‘natural’ state of the world actually bolster the power and self-interest of unrepresentative minorities. The de-briefing process will allow the teacher to guide the students through the experiences by focusing on their actions, thoughts, values and beliefs. This then allows participants to reflect on their experiences and analyse the skills they have developed. This should then provide students with the means to change their behaviour and beliefs when dealing with similar situations in the future. The debriefing process is an authentic process that embeds learning from the role play scenario. Trials indicated that participants are still analysing and reflecting on virtual experiences that can last for weeks after the scenario. The scenarios are recorded and are used as a classroom or online resource to help with the de-briefing process as well as provide valuable resources for future students. The range of scenarios developed so far range from basic workplace behaviour to risky or volatile situations. These scenarios are a vital and challenging environment where learners and teachers can practice skills and knowledge that they have acquired. It is acknowledge that putting students into risky or volatile situations is not without risk to the student’s health and wellbeing. This is managed by the use of an innovative support process called an Emergency Exit procedure (Fig 1). =<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Scenarios = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Trials and research show that deeply immersive virtual world experiences are very powerful tools for all participants. They have a broad appeal and are not only the exclusive domain of ‘Gen Y’ and neither are they the exclusive domain of wealthy urban students. Indeed recent trails conducted by the writer indicate that remotely located and indigenous students requiring a more flexible program will benefit from this new technology. Controlled virtual world environments allow students to – <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">play <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Explore virtual worlds and learn about a technology that will become more prevalent <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">gain experiential learning in a wide variety of disciplines <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">learn <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">participating in scripted events that facilitate learning in a particular industry area <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">develop <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">engendering workplace culture <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">developing workplace language skills <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">health care literacy The scenarios for the Allied Health Assistant students have been specifically designed by professionals to replicate everyday cases that these students will encounter. Chen et al. (2004) indicated a key problem with current instructional design in a virtual environment in that//“…instruction appears to fit the objectivist paradigm where learners learn domain content to solve a problem, rather than solving a problem to apply the learning//” (Chen et al. 2004, p3). This problem is not new and is recognised in the literature, for example the //EduChallenge Learning Scenarios// report ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; msonoproof: yes;">(Schonwald, Euler, Angehrnu & Suefert, 2006) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> “//overenthusiastic e-learning vendors have touted simulations in many areas where they should not have been. All too often, unfortunately, learning objectives were ignored in order to provide clients with the ‘wow’ factor. Simulations look good, but little learning occurred.//”(Schonwald, Euler, Angerhrn ,Seufert, p.15) There are many examples where resources have been dedicated to projects that have merit, but have been either limited in their scope or limited in their audience. The scenarios that have been developed for this virtual environment have been designed as authentic and meaningful tasks, which will provide a concrete experience and active experimentation where the learner will need to apply their learning. It also provides an environment where other teaching areas can participate. Therefore, these resources can be re-used and re-purposed thus making future project more cost effective. A unique aspect to these scenarios is that the teacher will be taking and active role in the scenarios. This could range from playing one of the roles to being a guardian angles who is invisible and can prompt or sway individuals in the scenarios. Another unique and innovative feature of this project is the individualisation of avatars. Avatar design will be based on real people who are typical of the clientele in the Health and Community Services Industry and not the standardised models used in online gaming or fantasy avatars used in other virtual worlds such as Second Life. Using a virtual environment with teacher interaction we have used two types of scaffolding (Wilson, 2008). For //Designed In Scaffolding// we have sequenced our activities to connect previous knowledge to new knowledge and for //Point of Need Scaffolding// our scenarios and interactions are designed such that they can be paused if a teacher recognises a “//teacher moment//”, allowing questions to be answered, concepts to be pointed out and assistance given if needed. In keeping with Wilson’s (2008) //Designed in scaffolding// model we have developed three scaffolding layers: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">4. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The first layer is for support with learning scenarios, teaching the participants how to move and function in a virtual environment. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">5. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The second layer starts with simple one-on-one scenarios. These can be with or without teacher participation to help the participants to become immersed in the roles and be able to develop their role playing skills in a safe, non-judgemental environment. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">6. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The third level of scaffolding is where the support starts to be removed and the participant gets the opportunity to “show off” these skills and knowledge, in more complex multiplayer scenarios. All scenarios have a holistic approach to assessment and all scenarios are set in simulated and content rich work place environments. The more complex multiplayer scenarios can be used for whole competency assessment or for the recognition of prior learning. Part of the pedagogical approach to these scenarios is that the teacher will be taking part in the scenarios. The unique and innovative feature of this project is the individualisation of avatars. Avatar design will be based on real people who are typical of the clientele in the Health and Community Services Industry. Lave and Wenger’s <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; msonoproof: yes;">(1991) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> and Ferdig’s (2006) approach of legitimate’ peripheral participation has been utilised in this project. “//The goal of legitimate peripheral participation is to allow students to act as practitioners in the practice that they are being enculturated into//” (Ferdig, 2006, p753). This study will allow us to see if the scenarios are effective. The post scenario debrief is the most important part of the learning. This is where critical reflection (Brookfield, 1995) is employed. This debriefing process will allow the teacher to guide the students through the experiences by focusing on their actions, thoughts, values and beliefs. There is the opportunity then to reflect on how their in-world experience and the skills they have developed will change their behaviour and beliefs when dealing with similar situations in the future. The debriefing process is an authentic process that cements the learning from the role play scenario that can last for several weeks after the activity. The scenarios are recorded and are used as a future resource to help with the debriefing process. The research conducted byVan Der Klift (2007) GippsTAFE and SwanTAFE, (2008), an //Australian Flexible Learning Framework// funded project, CIT and the //Virtual Worlds in Health Education// has been designed to address some of the limitations raised in the //VERBL// study, especially relating to the structure of the scenarios. An issue that is raised often in the //VERBL// study is that “//additional time from teachers to prepare and practise//” (VanDerKlift, 2007) was essential to adequately frame the scenarios. This project will be looking at three different structures to scenario building: <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">simple - not time consuming for the teachers to develop <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">intermediate – similar levels of time needed to prepare a course <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">complex - high levels of commitment to time and resources One of the outcomes of this project will provide information on areas needing refinement of the development procedure. This should help reduce the development time for scenario building by teachers. One of the biggest limitations of the //VERBL// project was the use of //Second Life//® as a platform. This limited the range of participants that could be recruited for the study as //Duty of Care Provisions// prevented people under the age of 18 from participating. The design and development of the //Virtual Worlds in Health Education// project has addressed this by using a more secure virtual world called //MyCosm.com//. This virtual world is managed by CIT teaching staff and support staff. All participants are invited into the world to conduct sessions and are unable to disguise themselves by using anonymous or false user names. Participants select a character that has particular physical and speech characteristics that make it difficult for other participants to identify who the other participants are. This will help with the immersive ness of the environment and with the anonymity of the participants. One of many positive outcomes for learners in the //VERBL// project was that the “//learners may be assessed more realistically within a virtual environment as the role plays within this environment are closer to a real life experience than traditional role plays conducted within the classroom//”(Van Der Klift, 2007, p26). This research project and the CIT //Virtual Worlds for Health Education// project have been designed and developed to replicate, enhance and extend these findings. =<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Engaging Health Professionals = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The //Virtual Worlds for Health Education// project is guided and supported by a Project Reference Group, this group is made up of the key stakeholders in the Allied and Health Industry in the ACT. This group also contains a representative from NSW, VIC and NT. The project is taking a two pronged approach to engaging health professional. This first approach is to offer health professional teaching hours and teaching pay to engage with students in the virtual environment. With the virtual environment we are not limited to the pool of potential professional just in Canberra or even just in Australia. Allied Health professional will be able to log on from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. The second approach is contacting the relevant associations and encouraging them to include it in their professional development plans. Practitioners should be able to claim hours towards maintaining industry links and currency in the discipline. This process is only in its early stages but there is already interest from and interested physiotherapist from Queensland. All of the Allied Health Professionals that have actively helped in the development and the design of the virtual world environment are also very keen to come and play with the students in the environment. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The project has just started the trialling phase of the project. The first trial of the //Virtual Worlds in Health Education// took place in Darwin in July 2009. Participants found that the virtual environment to be very immersive and enjoyed the scenario they participated in. All participants stated that they would like to learn in a virtual environment again. More trails are organised for Allied Health students at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT). On completion of the trials, the virtual world environment and scenarios will be available for the Allied Health teachers to embed them into the communication and practicum subjects. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">CIT’s approach to the development and design of this virtual environment is unique in that it started with an authentic learning task and then found the technology to support it, rather than having some innovative technology and trying to adapt an educational focus to it. This project may not be perfect yet, but there is a sound pedagogical approach to it. With the support of the Allied Health Professionals CIT can better manage the management of the practicum places in the ACT. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-no-proof: yes;">Brookfield, S. (Ed.) (1995) International Encyclopaedia of Education. Oxford Pergamon Press. Chen. J.C, Toh.S.C, Fauzy.W.M (2004). //The Theoretical Framework for Designing Desktop Virtual Reality-Based learning Environments,// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Darvasi, P. (2008). "3D Virtual Learning Environments." 2009, from [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"> Ferdig, R. (2006). Assessing technologies for teaching and learning: understanding the importance of technological pedagogical content knowledge. //British Journal of Educaitonal Technology, 37//(5), 11. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). //Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation//: Cambridge University Press. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Pahl, C. (2002). __An Evaluation of Scaffolding for Virtual Interactive Tutorials__. World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education Chesapeake. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"> Schonwald, I., Euler, D., Angehrn, A., & Suefert, S. (2006). //EduChallenge Learning Scenarions - Designing and Evaluating Learning Scenarios with a Team-Based Simulation on Change Mangement in Higher Educaiton//. St.Gallen: Swis Centre for Innovations in Learning. VanDerKlift, J. (2007). //Virtual Experience of Risk-Based Learning VERBL//: GippsTAFE. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Wenger, E. (1998). "Communities of practice." 2009, from [|http://www.ewenger.co] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"> Wilson, S. (2008). Components of Cognitive Apprenticeship: Scaffolding, 2009, from []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Situated Learning (Legitimate peripheral participation) **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Briefing (Critical reflection) **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Project Status **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Conclusion **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">References **