Research and impact
VirtualSP is developed at the Simulation and Communication Lab (SCoLa) of the Medical School OWL, as a teaching offer and as a subject of research. The platform generates a data basis that was previously unavailable in communication education: structured, comparable assessments of a four-digit number of conversations.
Impact model
The impact model describes how training offers turn into communication competence and, ultimately, into better conversations in care.
- Resources
- Activities
- Outputs
- Impact
- Resources
- Medical education expertise of SCoLa · curricular integration · scenario library · competency framework · technical platform
- Activities
- Development and validation of scenarios · delivery of training sessions · automated assessment along the five dimensions · feedback to learners and teaching staff
- Outputs
- Completed training sessions · learners reached · available scenarios · generated feedback reports and competency profiles
- Short-term impact
- Acceptance and use · increased practice frequency · experience of self-efficacy · lower inhibition before the first real conversation
- Medium-term impact
- Measurable competence gains in the five dimensions · better preparation for training with real simulated persons and for practical examinations · more targeted use of scarce SP resources
- Long-term impact
- Higher quality of conversations in care · better understanding between clinicians and patients · scalable communication education independent of local resources
Mechanism
Communication competence develops through repeated practice with immediate feedback. In classical training, the availability of simulated persons, course places and embarrassment in front of the group limit exactly this repetition. VirtualSP addresses this limitation: as often as needed, at any time, without an audience, with criteria-based feedback after every conversation.
This impact model is a draft and must be reviewed by the team before publication. For funding applications, a mapping to the Kirkpatrick levels is recommended; the available evaluation data currently cover level 1 and, in part, level 2.
What we know
Learners’ feedback is collected systematically. As of September 2026:
94%
of students in the pilot phase rated repeated training as very relevant for their learning success
n = 53
3.8 / 5
for the usefulness of the training tips
462 ratings
3.7 / 5
for how well the responses fitted the content
656 ratings
3.7 / 5
for the usefulness of the conversation assessment
361 ratings
> 950
completed training sessions
As of: September 2026
190
registered users
As of: September 2026
Publications
Bittner, A., von Schlippe, J., Bittner, J., Malchus, K. (2026): VirtualSP: Kommunikationstrainings mit virtuellen Simulationspersonen. 20. Internationales SkillsLab Symposium, Mannheim, 12.–14. März 2026.
Second publication (PUB record 3015179): add title, type and year.
Collaborate instead of developing in parallel
We are opening VirtualSP to other sites. Anyone who wants to try or study communication training with virtual simulated persons does not have to build the infrastructure a second time: the platform, the competency framework and scenario development are ready, and the data basis grows with every participating site.
We are looking for partners for
Joint studies on effectiveness
Scenario development for further fields
Trials in other degree programmes and health professions
Joint funding applications