This application revises an earlier one that was approved but unfunded. The revision includes several changes in the methodology, additional documentation of the need for teaching materialsin immunohematology, and a reduced budget. The proposal builds on earlier research concerning the use of computers as teaching tools for transfusion medicine. Models developed to date have to do with expertness of practitioners and learning processes of trainees. The goals of this proposal are to refine the design of the prototype Transfusion Medicine Tutor (TMT), based on results of a current preliminary evaluation. It is also proposed to evaluate these refinements and to pilot test the evaluation methodologies, in preparation for a large scale field trial in actual classroom settings. The Transfusion Medicine Tutor is a computerized problem based learning environment. It offers a micro world where students can practice antibody identification tasks on real patient cases. TMT is designed to detect and respond to a variety of student errors and to suggest more advanced problem solving strategies when appropriate. Red cell antibody identification was selected because it requires the integration of a great deal of the knowledge that medical technology students are expected to acquire. The project will involve four phases: system refinement; pilot testing; small field study; and a large field trial. Specific data are sought in these studies: what students learn when they interact with TMT; what different features of TMT influence the learning process; how students react to this kind of interactive learning environment; and how much additional learning results from the intelligent tutoring functions incorporated in TMT. This project is admittedly ambitious but attainment of the objectives within the project period seems reasonable because the system is functioning now. The refinement tasks build on a sound base. The investigators already have experience evaluating the system because of a preliminary pilot test assessment now completed. The assembled project team has worked together fruitfully. Participants in the field test have been recruited; they have agreed to participate and to contribute.
