An overview of how simulation-based education, grounded in adult learning theories, can be designed and delivered to motivate learners and achieve targeted outcomes.
📊 Quick Facts
| Type | Interview |
| Author | Alexandre GAIN |
| Published | April 1, 2026 |
| Source | Visit Source |
| Location(s) | The KOLB Library |
🖼️ Illustrations
📝 Abstract
[Summary generated by AI] In this instructional overview, the author synthesizes core theories of adult learning to justify and guide the design of simulation-based education. The resources considered include manikins of varying fidelity, simulated patients, and in-situ or center-based environments, with attention to physical conditions (e.g., temperature, breaks) that support engagement per Maslow’s hierarchy. Framed by Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, simulation is positioned as scaffolded practice that progressively reduces facilitator dependence. Two theoretical traditions are operationalized: behaviorism via repeated scenarios, performance feedback, and reinforcement (e.g., certification in basic life support), and constructivism through eliciting prior knowledge, contextualized problem-solving, and shared responsibility for learning. Methods recommended include needs assessment, activation of prior knowledge, active learning tasks (reading, discussion, problem-solving), scenario enactment as concrete experience, and structured debriefing mapped to Kolb’s experiential learning cycle to drive reflection, abstraction, and subsequent experimentation. Outcomes and deliverables comprise a practical framework for aligning objectives with modality and fidelity, strategies to promote knowledge acquisition, automated responses, and behavior change, and guidance for mitigating hidden curriculum effects. The author concludes with adaptable design principles to motivate adult learners and enable transfer through iterative simulation.