Collaborative online multimedia problem-based learning simulations (COMPS)

This chapter describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a Collaborative Online Multimedia Problem-based Learning Simulation (COMPS) instructional model designed to help students and practitioners in the health professions develop clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills. Both students and instructors are searching for effective learning platforms and pedagogical models that enable them to collaborate, study, and work at a distance. In order to address this need, COMPS was developed to support a case-based tutorial model where learners can work together online to solve authentic problems no matter where they are located. The model aims to bring together the strongest features of simulations, namely engagement and immersiveness, with one of the strongest features of face-to-face learning-social interaction. The COMPS model combines these strengths to create a new learning system for health education and examines how students learn in this online environment. This chapter also discusses the next steps in our research and development, investigating the use of a COMPS model on a dedicated platform.