OpenLabyrinth: an Abstract Pathway-Based Serious Game Engine for Professional Education

Rachel H. EllawayNorthern Ontario School of Medicine

The Virtual Patient

• "an interactive computer simulation of real-life clinical scenarios for the purpose of healthcare and medical training, education or assessment” (Ellaway, Candler, et al. 2006)

• On-demand, standardised, interactive• Formative assessment, ED2/8• Mashup of simulation and games

Why now?

• Need

– Standards and assured experience increasing

– New techniques – inpatient time reduced

– Number of learners steadily growing

– Concerns around unsupervised contact

– Plummeting student access to patients

• Capability

– Web engineering

– Gaming sensibilities

– Standards and specifications

Designs and Topologies

• Much more than page turners

• VPs require a ‘game’ or ‘state’ engine

• Systems are typically integrated development environments (IDEs) – build, run, analyse

• Standards development (inc MedBiquitous) has identified criticality of topology:

– linear, pearls, schema, branching, world

Branching

• Choose your own adventure

• Decision trees

• Actions have consequences

• Nothing intrinsically clinical

• Enhanced with counters and rules:

– Artifacts: keys, tools, drugs, helpers

– Abstract: time, money, morale, health

– Information: patient history, test results

OpenLabyrinth

• Path/branching educational activity engine

• Originally developed at UoE

• Escape from:

– Handbuilt CAL

– Pageturner authoring systems

– Incorporating simulation and gaming

• IDE: create, run and analyse multiple labyrinths

• OpenLabyrinth v1.0 in 2007

• ASP/VB >> Python/Django

Nodes and Links

• Acyclical graphs: nodes and links• Nodes are coordinates and containers• Links establish possible pathways• Counters implement and track

consequences• Counter rules extend gameplay• Conditionals, feedback etc

Decision Trees

Objects

• Wiki-style object referencing– [[MR:12345]] media object– [[QU:2345]] question object– [[AV:654]] avatar object

• Copy-paste anywhere in node container content

• Conversion at runtime• Extensible

Creating and Editing

• Manual through text UI– ++detail but longer

• Visual editor (Flash-based)– Long term future for Flash?

• VUE create and roundtrip– Only topology and text content

• Import MedBiquitous VP package

Interoperability

• MedBiquitous Virtual Patient• ANSI /MEDBIQ VP.10.1-2010• SCORM package• XML: activity model + VPDs + DAMs• Manifest and metadata• OL imports and exports to MVP• Issues over origin/target system equivalence• Fuzzy interoperability

Runtime

• Root node

• Content (storytelling) + options

• Undo, counters, rules

• Objects, esp MCQs controlling counters

• Tracking

• Terminal nodes

• Reporting

• Feedback

Multiple Skins and Clients

Remote

• Webservice client• IP and ID masked

– XML list of available labyrinths– Initiate labyrinth runtime exchange of node

content and triggers

• Client apps in LMS and other eL systems • Integration with other tools - HSVO

Extensibility

• HSVO: part of an integrated simulation platform – OL is the ‘activity glue’

• Ariadne: labyrinths running in Second Life – holodecks and environment controls

• VERSE: remote telemetry aggregator

• UC case generator: randomised from multiple databases/sources

Open Source

• OpenLabyrinth is open source• Academic Free licence• Non-commercial and share-alike• On SourceForge and Google• Currently v2.6 beta• Python/Django version in preparation

In Use

• NOSM, Lakehead, Laurentian, Calgary, UBC, Queens, UWO, Confederation, McMaster, Ryerson, Edinburgh, SGULondon, Warwick, Bristol … and many, many others

• Great variety in use and design

• International collections:

– eVIP: www.virtualpatients.eu

– PINE: pine.nosm.ca/pine

– CHEC-CESC: www.chec-cesc.afmc.ca

Conclusions

• Simulation and game-informed learning critical to professional education, training and assessment

• OL is an activity authoring and runtime toolset

• Free and open source

• Simple and abstract

• Standards compliant

• Adaptable and extensible

• Using webservices, wiki referencing etc

• Growing adopter community – both in and beyond education

OpenLabyrinth: an Abstract Pathway-Based Serious Game Engine for Professional Education

Rachel H. EllawayNorthern Ontario School of Medicine