1. RIGHT Getting the Story
Medbiquitous Virtual Patient Design Workshop
Getting the Story
RIGHT

2. Stories provide a holistic structure that is similar to how we learn in our daily lives.
Storytelling
Allows listener to turn the story into their own ideas and experiences
B. Listener’s brain activity begins to mirror the speaker
C. Emotionally-charged event releases dopamine, creating memory with greater accuracy
D. A well-told story engages the motor cortex, sensory cortex and frontal cortex
DecisionSim Interactive Story Elements: 
• Learner control: learners interact with content and make decisions
• Engagement: learners are emotionally connected to the story
• Feedback: learners see the consequences of their choices
• Reflection: mentors simulate apprenticeship
• Experimentation: learners explore various choices in a safe environment
• Adaptive content: media and story progress based upon the learner’s selections
Storytelling provides emotional engagement, shared context, and relevance. This enables us to:
Recall information
Accelerate and rewind time
Connect actions to consequences
Explore decisions in a safe environment

3. Story-Based Simulation
Effective storytelling significantly improves training outcomes by providing context and supporting emotional engagement
Story-Based Simulation
Setting the stage by describing the setting and timing of the simulation
Developing characters by letting them speak for themselves
Creating a plot with dramatic conflict by developing different learning paths

4. Simulation Storyboarding
Stay in the Story (SitS)
Simulation Storyboarding
Nominate a chief storyteller
The storyteller tells a fairy tale
The storyteller tells a horror story
Keep the story short and to stick to the theme
Integrate the stories
Review and revise

5. Simulation Story Flow & Branching
Simulation Introduction
Set expectations, learning goals, time commitment, CME, survey
Story Introduction
Introduce setting, time, mentor, learner role, challenge
Learning Paths
Provide choices and consequences leading to reflection and insight
Story Conclusion
Resolve conflict and summarize learning
Simulation Conclusion
Wrap up with instructions for survey, steps for CME, and resources

6. Branching simulations supported by a good story can create insights for both learners and educator
Learner Insights: Branching simulations enable learners to make decisions and see consequences. Through guided reflection with online mentors, learners come to their own insights.
Educator Insights: Branching simulations that require learners to make decisions provide rich data for educators to gain insights about learner competencies.

7. Mentors Mentors - Who will your audience respect?
Online mentors provide coaching and personalized feedback
Learners self-reported "…greater confidence in their understanding of feedback received from this mentor than feedback received as a model response to a question."

8. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?
Development Tools
Planning Document for design, data and development questions used
to populate the Design Document.
Documenting your Design:
Simulation Scope Template
Design Document Template
Storyboard Templates
DecisionSim StyleGuide
Style Guide for consistent formatting