THE DESIGN AND APPLICATION OF A SIMULATION-BASED MOBILE LEARNING SYSTEM: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON LEARNING OUTCOME

A simulation-based course on physical examination and health assessment provides learners with a learning environment that is safe, tolerant of mistakes, and filled with opportunities for discussion and feedback for learners to enhance their knowledge and skills. The primary purpose of this study is to design a simulation-based e-learning APP on physical assessment with a set of learning materials. The design of APPs (mobile device) consists of two parts: the front end and the back end. The front end is a user interface which consists of structure chart, the design of scenarios, and the design of interface. The structure chart would present the functions of the APP, including messaging, scenario analysis, and videos of physical assessments. The design of scenarios involves the procedures of physical assessments in each scenario, including patient history inquiry, physical assessments, and scenario analysis. The design of interface involves button configuration, color scheme, texts, and operating sequence. The back end system is essentially a management platform that puts together account management, user management, settings of practices and tests, and video upload management. The resulting APP stands out because it has four advantages: (1) users can learn about physical assessment via the APP wherever and whenever they want, (2) the APP runs on both Android and IOS mobile devices, (3) every effort was made during the test runs to ensure smooth user operation, (4) all materials related to the course, including completed assignments from the learners, were uploaded on a real-time basis. The APP is now complete and ready to be applied as a learning-aid in a course for the next year of research.