Rationale
The teaching of skills from simple to complex, involving patients and other health care team members is an essential part of HPEd. It is important that when HPEd students graduate, they are ready to face the unpredictable and ever-changing reality of their respective practice. Simulation is both a teaching strategy and an evaluation method that plays a big role in this process of achieving readiness by integrating the controlled environment of the laboratory with the reality of actual practice. It provides activities that are as close to the real-world as possible yet provide the security and safety of making mistakes and learning from them.
Teachers in HPEd should have the knowledge and understanding of how simulation can be maximized and used in their respective courses to help prepare students for real-world challenges. This course will help them in gaining skills in designing simulation activities that will target the achievement of specific skills, as well as the use of simulation for evaluation of student performance. In recent years, there have been tremendous development in the kinds of materials that can be used in simulation, especially with the changes in technology. HPEd teachers should therefore be constantly updated on available materials that can be utilized so that the benefits of simulation can be maximized in various learning environments.