Developing Virtual Gaming Simulations to Promote Interdisciplinary Learning in Addressing Intimate Partner and Gender-Based Violence

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ABSTRACT

Gender-based violence (GBV) is global issue, requiring specialized knowledge, attitudes, and skills. The most effective responses are interdisciplinary, involving social work, healthcare, and the justice system. While GBV was exacerbated during the pandemic, many students faced a reduced availability of practice opportunities to learn how to respond to GBV. The authors describe a teaching and learning project which expanded access to experiential, interdisciplinary learning across three faculties (social work, nursing, law) by using virtual gaming simulation-based learning (VGSBL). Processes of development and implementation are discussed, along with recommendations for further integration of VGSBL in addressing grand challenges of social work education such as interdisciplinary collaboration in responding to GBV.

Violence in families was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic (Campbell, 2020; Peterman et al., 2020), while at the same time students in practicum-based disciplines such as social work were faced with reduced availability of real-life practice opportunities to learn how best to respond (Arundel et al., 2022). Providing appropriately tailored, effective interventions for responding to people experiencing violence in their families and their relationships requires specialized knowledge, attitudes, and skills (Edleson et al., 2011). Research has been clear that the most effective responses to addressing intimate partner and gender-based violence (IPV/GBV) are cross-disciplinary, involving social work (child welfare, child mental health), healthcare (nursing), and the justice system (law; Edleson & Malik, 2008). Repeatedly, studies recommend enhanced collaboration between community partners (Saxton et al., 2022; Stylianou & Ebright, 2021; Wuerch et al., 2019). In this article we describe a multidisciplinary research project that aimed to expand access to experiential learning (EL) across multiple disciplines using virtual learning technologies to address a critical aspect of mental health education—individual experiences of IPV/GBV.

While innovative technologies are critical in promoting EL in the classroom, they were essential in the context of the pandemic. With recent emphasis on implementation of interprofessional education (IPE), simulation-based learning (SBL) has been demonstrated as a successful and effective pedagogy in training students in client-centered professions (Roberson, 2020). SBL in IPE allows students opportunities to practice decision making and teamwork in a realistic and safe environment, and to move learners from knowing theory to applying theory. The research team, representing the faculties of Social Work, Nursing, and Law from the University of Calgary, collaborated to develop resources for and determine the efficacy of virtual SBL as a teaching and learning method for IPE on the topic of IPV/GBV. This study involved a scoping review on the use of EL for teaching students in helping professions about responding to IPV/GBV in families; the development of a complex family scenario that would meet the learning needs of students from the disciplines of law, nursing, and social work; the creation of asynchronous virtual learning tools as well as synchronous, trauma-informed pre/debriefing activities; reflexive practice exercises; and a classroom discussion guide. A discussion of findings to date and the process of implementation as well as implications for future pedagogical practice are presented.

Background

This study is unique in that it took place within the Canadian context and involved collaborations across three faculties at the same institution to produce pedagogical methods of teaching about responding to GBV within a multidisciplinary context. The research itself was framed by the criteria for high-quality EL: (a) pedagogy, (b) experience, (c) assessment, and (d) reflection.

Pedagogy

Although there is no universally accepted framework for IPE, Kolb’s EL theory (Kolb, 1984) framed this research, as it is widely used and accepted within simulation and IPE pedagogy (Fewster-Thuente & Batteson, 2018; Long & Gummelt, 2020). Kolb (1984) defined EL as a process where “knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (p. 41) and described a four-phase dynamic learning cycle: (a) concrete experience, (b) reflective observation, (c) abstract conceptualization, and (d) active experimentation. Having an experience or doing something, and then reflecting on, analyzing, and processing it, leads to knowledge translation and improved future responses. In this way, learners move from knowing why something should be done to knowing how it should be done, increasing their conceptual understanding, and resulting in improved procedural skills and transferability of knowledge/skills to new problems (Cheung et al., 2019).

SBL is a pedagogy that uses real-world scenarios to promote learning. SBL can be offered through various modalities, including the use of high-fidelity manikins or standardized patients (i.e., trained actors). Although more commonly used in SBL experiences, these modalities are resource intensive, and the use of virtual gaming simulation (VGS) offers learners accessible and unlimited opportunities to practice and apply their knowledge, attitudes, and skills to meet specific learner outcomes (Verkuyl et al., 2017). As a subset of virtual simulation (VS), VGS is an interactive experience consisting of two-dimensional, immersive videos of simulated clients played by actors and is informed by both serious gaming and simulation pedagogies (Verkuyl et al., 2019). Although traditional simulations may create an authentic clinical setting environment, the lack of ability to motivate and engage students (Knight et al., 2010) brought the serious game element into the VS world and introduced the new modality of VGS. In this modality, learning occurs through playing games, failing (safely), watching the consequences of actions, and receiving extended feedback both inside and outside of the game. While at the same time, the act of playing (especially in high-anxiety scenarios) enhances students’ enjoyment of and engagement with the learning while improving higher-order thinking skills (Crocco et al., 2016).

VGS has numerous advantages as a competency-based training method in that it promotes EL, communication, team performance skills, learner satisfaction, critical thinking, and self-confidence (Foronda et al., 2020). In a focus group study that interviewed nursing educators who use VGS in education, the use of VGS was found to be a highly effective learning strategy that when thoughtfully implemented in the curriculum could prepare students well for clinical practice and decisionmaking (Verkuyl et al., 2020).

While creating a VGS requires initial investment, once created they are extremely time/cost-effective, versatile for teaching and learning purposes, and highly accessible (Verkuyl et al., 2017). The standardization within VGSs may allow for increased consistency of clinical training (e.g., eliminating fatigue actors may feel that can influence the teaching and learning process) and a unique opportunity to expose learners to a diverse range of realistic scenarios to promote awareness of issues of intersectionality in both clients’ and practitioners’ lives that affect service provision. In addition, in light of the complexity of developing an interdisciplinary teaching module, an asynchronous resource, accessible to several diverse faculties and timetables, was desirable.

Experience

The field of professionals working directly with IPV/GBV is multidisciplinary. Exposure to IPV/GBV is extremely, common with 1 out of 10 Canadians indicating they have been exposed to violence between adults in their households (Burczycka & Conroy, 2017). Annually, close to one million Canadian children under the age of 18 are exposed to violence at home (Trocmé et al., 2010), characterized by physical, emotional, financial, and psychological abuse of their caregivers. In Canada, IPV is the most frequently reported form of child abuse, representing 41 to 48% of substantiated investigations (Fallon et al., 2015). Importantly, such childhood exposure was exacerbated globally by the COVID-19 pandemic (Bouillon-Minois et al., 2020; World Health Organization, 2020). Furthermore, global reports of increased violence against women (in all forms) coincided with concerns about the effect of reduced access to professional supports and resources for survivors isolated with their abusers (Smyth et al., 2021). Increased risks were experienced by older women, women with disabilities, women with limited access to technology, Indigenous women, and migrant women (Abji et al., 2020; Human Rights Watch, 2020; Usher et al., 2020; Wright, 2020, as cited in Koshan et al., 2021).

At the same time, students in helping professions such as social work, nursing, and law, whose learning largely relies on various practicum and internships, were faced with the reduced availability of real-life/in-person practice opportunities (Arundel et al., 2022). Providing appropriately tailored, effective interventions for people experiencing IPV/GBV requires specialized knowledge, attitudes, and skills (Edleson et al., 2011), as well as the knowledge to chart a path to safety by recognizing multiple risk and protective factors (Jaffe et al., 2014). Although research has determined the most effective responses are cross-disciplinary (Edleson & Malik, 2008), several gaps remain in bringing this to practice. Among these include: a noticeable lack of implementation of the knowledge of the effect of childhood exposure to GBV into clinical social work practice (MacMillan et al., 2009); significant gaps in educational curriculums for nurses to adequately prepare them for addressing IPV/GBV in practice (Alshammari et al., 2018); and the need for education on the benefits of having lawyers and mediators screen for IPV/GBV in their own practice and of taking trauma-informed and cross-disciplinary approaches to client interactions has been documented (Gurski & Butler, 2017; Milaney & Williams, 2018). SBL is promoted as an effective teaching method as it creates an active hands-on experience in a low-risk environment (Maran & Glavin, 2003).

Assessment

Most simulation experiences involve formative feedback (Bloom, 1971), and evaluation generally takes the form of student satisfaction or confidence ratings or pre/posttest assessments of learning (Bray et al., 2011). Research on SBL in education has shown additional benefits to students through vicarious learning—student learning by observing and relating the interaction to their own practice (Asakura et al., 2018). In this capacity a VGS provides a unique opportunity for this dual learning; the player has the opportunity to attempt the interaction on their own and then also watch as it is played out correctly. Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) reinforces that observational learning is as important to developing practice skills and critical thinking as participating directly in the experience. Preliminary evidence suggests SBL is effective at teaching both knowledge- and competency-based skills (Rawlings & Blackmer, 2019).

Reflection

Within high-fidelity simulation, facilitator-supported reflection is critical to student learning and occurs at key points: reflection-before-action, reflection-in-action, and reflection-on-action (Schön, 1987). Facilitator-supported reflection is an essential step to enhancing learning in high-fidelity simulation education (Mayville, 2011) and is used during implementation to support students to further develop and understand their roles, their colleague’s roles, communication, and teamwork skills within an IPE IPV/GBV simulation experience. Such applied professional skills are not often learned solely through conventional teaching methods—requiring observation of practitioners, self-practice, and personal experience of carrying out tasks with reflection on that practice. Reflection on practice is a central theme of learning and development in client-serving professions (e.g., social work, nursing, law; Fisher & Somerton, 2000; Mulli et al., 2021)

This project aligned with the research team’s goals of developing collaborative and EL opportunities by using virtual technologies to provide increased access to a diverse range of teaching and learning modalities. In addition, the focus on IPV/GBV was directly related to addressing mental health within our communities, while supporting the well-being of students by providing psychological safety in experiencing SBL that involves sensitive subject matter. Psychological safety is a cornerstone of the SBL environment and requires that the facilitator work closely with students to establish expectations ahead of entering into the simulation (Tortorelli et al., 2021). Developing a VGS with a trauma-informed approach meant creating participant safety and recognizing the effect of trauma (including intergenerational, historical, and cultural trauma) on users while attending to student strengths (Elliott et al., 2005). Such valuable learning opportunities allow students to safely take risks and move from novice to expert practitioners through skill-building in clinical situations (Benner, 2001). Having an IPE component also provided students with opportunities for reflection on how other professionals might approach IPV/GBV differently, and to consider the benefits and challenges of interprofessional practice.

Methodology

Members of the research team met regularly to discuss the use of SBL as a teaching tool in our respective programs and to determine opportunities for IPE as several members of the team were already using SBL in their teaching practices. The collaborative approach to our work together allowed the development of this pedagogy to include more accessible avenues to SBL with attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion for both faculty and students through the creation of three diverse, discipline-specific, and trauma-informed VGS modules, along with IPE modules for use in all three disciplines. As part of our collaborative pedagogical approach, undergraduate-, masters-, Juris Doctor–, and PhD-level students from social work, nursing, and law were involved throughout all stages of the project. This included (a) engaging in a scoping review of the use of EL in teaching IPV competencies to frontline workers; (b) participating in a 2-day workshop on creating VGS; (3) engaging in the collaborative development of a fictional family of four, to create both discipline-specific and IPE scenarios; (4) writing learning objectives, outcomes, decision-points, and feedback to script, film, and build the resulting VGS product; (5) creation of tools for pedagogical implementation, including trauma-informed pre/debriefing protocols (Harder et al., 2021), pre/post evaluation tools, and classroom discussion guides; and (6) designing a research study to determine the efficacy of the VGS as a learning tool.

Such collaborative pedagogy helps to promote students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills by engaging with their peers from different disciplines.

Design

1) Scoping review: The purpose of the scoping review was to canvas the literature until June 2021, using selected criteria with respect to the use of EL strategies to teach IPV competencies to frontline workers. This review was designed and conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols guideline. A search strategy was developed that combined subject headings and synonyms for two concepts: (a) EL and (b) IPV. Searches were conducted in 22 databases, such as HeinOnline, Medline, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Social Work Abstracts, to name a few, without any limits on languages or dates. Studies were included if they were primary research that described EL opportunities on the topic of IPV. English-language quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies were included and those that did not focus on EL-related IPV were excluded. Information on study characteristics (e.g., year of publication, country, study design), population demographics (e.g., learner stage/profession), and details of the EL activity were extracted. From 5,216 initial citations, 4,282 unique abstracts were screened after duplicates removed, 196 full-text articles were reviewed, and 61 studies were included in the final analysis. Data were then categorized according to the topics of interest in our review (e.g., discipline, learner stage) and IPV competencies, referring to educational objectives acquired after participating (Academy on Violence & Abuse [AVA], 2011). IPV competencies were organized into three categories based on for whom the competencies are intended: health systems, educational institutions, and individual learners and individual learner competencies, such as knowledge, skills, and attitudes (AVA, 2011). Additionally, we noted the presence or absence of discussion on intersectionality, as well as the presence or absence of debriefing activities. Data were descriptively analyzed to reveal the current state of empirical knowledge about EL for IPV. The results of the review are forthcoming (Allison et al., in press); however, this comprehensive overview of the use of EL to teach IPV competencies addresses significant gaps in the literature, including incorporating an intersectional analysis into educational interventions and indicates a need for additional teaching and learning resources.

2) VGS workshop: Twelve members of the research team participated in a 2-day workshop provided by leaders in the VGS development field, on the creation and development of VGS that provided the background and skill set required to move from theory to action—from creating learning objectives to storyboarding and game production (Verkuyl et al., 2019, 2022b).

3) Collaborative development of scenarios: To create both discipline-specific and IPE-specific learning resources, the team engaged in the development of a complex case scenario of a family of four consisting of mother, father, 15-year-old son, and 18-year-old daughter to write, script, and film both discipline-specific and IPE-specific scenarios involving the family where issues of IPV/GBV were present. Each member of the family experiences services through a variety of means (attending a hospital emergency department, a student wellness center, a sexual and reproductive health clinic, a legal clinic for sexual assault and IPV victims, a walk-in mental health center, and a home visit from child protection services). This allowed all disciplines to engage with each character to some extent, or to have the option of viewing additional content for interprofessional learning purposes (e.g., after your referral to child protection services, click here to see how a home visit might be conducted). Design of the specific practice scenarios used in the VGS created space for faculty and student learning about the complex ways that equity, diversity, and inclusion influence practices with clients as well as professional collaboration. For example, cues embedded within the scenario suggested the presence of intersecting oppressions (e.g., racism, gender) and other issues (such as substance use, reproductive justice, reluctant victims) that could lead to bias in responding. In addition, as the scenario involves youth, a component addressing the differential effects that mandatory reporting obligations to child welfare can have on marginalized populations such as Indigenous, racialized, and economically disadvantaged families was included to provide opportunities for further learning and reflection. These areas were also included within the reflective practice and debriefing activities wherein students were required to reflect on their own social location and how that may have influenced the interaction within the scenario as well as their own experience of it. This aspect of the project specifically contributes to an emerging practice literature in appreciating the effects of diversity within the simulation scenario (Vora, 2020).

4) Writing Learning Objectives, Outcomes, Decision-Points, and Feedback to Script, Film, and Build the Resulting VGS Product: Through developing both faculty-specific goals and collective IPE goals (e.g., what we need to learn from each other) we collaboratively created learning objectives, made direct links to practice, addressed performance gaps, and aligned these with professional ethical standard guidelines. The investigators codeveloped learning objectives that are measurable, achievable, and address discipline-specific concerns and practice intersections, which guided both content of the VGS but also the classroom discussion guide items.

5) Creation of Tools for Pedagogical Implementation Including Pre/Debriefing Protocols, Pre/Postevaluation Tools, and Classroom Discussion Guides: To enhance learning we developed methods of virtual interdisciplinary debriefing to provide students with the opportunity to understand how experiences differed for respective disciplines and interact with each other online when in-person options were not feasible. We then examined opportunities for integration of the VGS into current faculty curriculums by identifying appropriate courses, coursework options, and alignment to the level of the learners. To deliberately incorporate IPE, each VGS included a scenario in which the participant needs to seek input from other disciplines (e.g., for data gathering, consultation, mandatory reporting). We then developed a formalized structured process for how the modules will be used, including preparation, prebriefing protocols modeled on best practice standards from the literature, reflective practice, and debriefing activities.

6) Designing a Research Study to Determine the Efficacy of the VGS as a Teaching and Learning Tool: Table 1 contains the description of each measurement tool used to assess and evaluate the confidence, knowledge, and skill development in responding to IPV/GBV with the use of the VGS.

Table 1. Measurement tools used to support the IPV/GBV VGS.

Measurement Tool	Authors	Purpose	Instrument Length	Item Format
READIness to Encounter Partner Abuse (PA) Patients Scale (The READI Scale)	Sawyer et al. (2020)	To measure the readiness of healthcare practitioners and students to encounter patients experiencing partner abuse	27 items	7-point scale (1 = “strongly disagree,” 7 = “strongly agree”)
The W(e)-Learn Interprofessional (IP) Program Assessment Scale	Archibald et al. (2014)	To provide learner feedback regarding student IPE learning experience	30 items (used 18 items)	7-point scale (1 = “strongly disagree,” 7 = “strongly agree”)
SPICE-R2 Instrument	Dominquez et al. (2015)	To measure health profession students’ IPE and interprofessional collaborative practice	10 items (used 8 items)	5-point scale (1 = “strongly disagree,” 5 = “strongly agree”)
Player Experience Inventory (PXI) Scale	Vanden Abeele et al. (2020)	To measure player experience with the VGS	30 items	Two domains, each consisting of five constructs, measured by three items

Note. IPE = interprofessional education; IPV/GBV VGS = intimate partner and gender-based violence virtual gaming simulations; SPICE-R2 = Students Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education Revised 2.

The READIness to Encounter Partner Abuse Patients (READI) Scale contains 27 items that measure an individual’s self-efficacy, emotional readiness, motivational readiness, and knowledge of partner abuse (PA) and has been tested on a variety of healthcare practitioners and students (Sawyer et al., 2020). There is evidence that the READI Scale scores have demonstrated accuracy and reliability in measuring healthcare professional readiness to encounter patients/clients experiencing PA (Sawyer et al., 2020). However, it has not yet been determined to be an accurate measure of actual performance on a task, thus it will be used in conjunction with VGS performance.

To better understand students’ experiences of IPE, and their satisfaction with the VGS itself, we designed a 26-item questionnaire drawn from two separate measure tools designed to assess and evaluate interprofessional collaboration and learning processes [i.e., the W(e)-Learn Interprofessional (IP) Program Assessment Scale (Archibald et al., 2014) and SPICE-R2 Instrument (Dominquez et al., 2015)]. We could not use the scales in their entirety, as they were not applicable for all students (i.e., because they are specific to health professionals) and the VGS did not contain an actual team experience. Some examples of the items were: I have learned knowledge that I will apply in practice; I have learned skills that I will apply in practice; the learning activities were engaging. In addition, we developed questions based on Kirkpatrick’s and Kirkpatrick’s (2007) model, which includes four levels of analysis: reactions, learning, behavior, and result, to evaluate the effect of the VGS modules. The first level, or reactions phase, determines if learners felt the VGS was valuable and if they were engaged. Level two, learning, assesses students’ identification of new knowledge, what they will do differently after participating in the simulation, and how confident they are that they can do what they have learned in the real world. Level three, behavior, assesses knowledge application. Level four, results, assesses the effect of the VGS intervention on knowledge and skills acquisition.

This model will be used to analyze the effect of VGS; determine the level of knowledge, skills, attitude, and confidence of the learners; and to improve learning in the future. Guided by this model, we will implement and evaluate the VGS in each faculty through coursework, special learning workshops, and practical clinical hour opportunities to answer our research questions about effect, challenges, and opportunities.

Finally, we chose to use the Player Experience Inventory (PXI) scale, which provides a reliable, theoretically sound tool for measuring player experience across different game genres and gamified applications (Vanden Abeele et al., 2020). The PXI is based on the means-end theory of Gutman (1982). According to this theory, the player’s engagement with the game is contingent on their perception of how the game aligns with their own values and facilitates the attainment of their desired consequences, rather than solely based on its technical design or features. Players engage in a cognitive process when evaluating the potential consequences of their decisions in relation to the game’s attributes. This process is influenced by personal values, which shape the individual’s understanding of the game’s functionalities as a means to an end. The PXI thus allows researchers to understand how game design choices (e.g., graphic design, game mechanism, control) are perceived by players, and how these contribute to psychological experiences (e.g., flow, immersion, mastery, autonomy; Vanden Abeele et al., 2020). This assessment tool measures game players’ experiences in two main domains: functional consequences and psychological consequences. Psychological consequences include five constructs: a sense of mastery, curiosity, immersion, autonomy, and meaning. Functional consequences consist of five constructs, including ease of control, progress feedback, audiovisual appeal, goals, and rules and challenges. Each construct is measured by three questions using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (7). To elicit qualitative feedback, a single open-ended item was included in the survey instrument, which requested participants to provide suggestions for potential improvements to the VGSs. We employed the PXI to evaluate players’ experience, as it uses a brief multiple-choice questionnaire format, which makes it easy for players to respond, thereby increasing participation in the voluntary and anonymous feedback collection process (Verkuyl et al., 2022a).

Results

The VGSs were played by 60 students in the three disciplines of law (n = 18), nursing (n = 14), and social work (n = 28). On completion of the VGSs, players were directed to the PXI survey via a link embedded in the final screen of the game in Qualtrics (an online survey software), which contains 30 questions as shown in Table 2. The mean score on all items ranged from 4.00 to 6.45, or from 57% to 92%, for each item. The lowest scores were associated with the immersion construct; for example, “I was no longer aware of my surroundings while I was playing” (4.00). The highest scores reflect the clarity of goals, such as, “I grasped the overall goal of the game” (6.45), ease of control (“The actions to control the game were clear to me”; 6.53), and audiovisual appeal (“I liked the look and feel of the game”; 6.13).

Table 2. Player’s inventory experience constructs and item scores.

Survey Items (Constructs)
Psychological Consequences	M	(SD)	N
I wanted to find out how the game progressed (Curiosity)	5.82	(1.32)	60
The game felt relevant to me (Meaning)	5.78	(1.47)	60
I felt capable while playing the game (Mastery)	5.43	(1.23)	60
I felt free to play the game in my own way (Autonomy)	4.97	(1.65)	60
I was no longer aware of my surroundings while I was playing (Immersion)	4.00	(1.63)	60
Functional Consequences
The actions to control the game were clear to me (Ease of Control)	6.53	(0.64)	60
I grasped the overall goal of the game (Clarity of Goals)	6.45	(0.64)	60
I liked the look and feel of the game (Audiovisual Appeal)	6.13	(1.04)	60
The game gave clear feedback on my progress toward the goals (Progress Feedback)	5.77	(0.99)	60
The challenges in the game were at the right level of difficulty for me (Challenge)	5.58	(1.05)	60

Note. M = Mean; N = Number of participants; SD = Standard deviation.

During the evaluation, participants were queried regarding potential suggestions for game design improvement. Participants were asked a single question if they had “any suggestions to improve the Virtual Gaming Simulations in the future?” Of the participants (N = 58), 98% responded to this question. Despite the specific focus on game design, participants also provided open feedback on their overall gaming experience.

These qualitative answers were analyzed thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2012) and, as shown in Table 3, several key areas of improvement were noted, including “technical and accessibility issues,” “increasing learning opportunities,” and “content-related improvements.” Several students suggested increasing opportunities to access the VGS in different aspects of the curriculum: “I really appreciate VGS for my learning and I think that it should be incorporated in every class.” Some participants suggested increasing the level of scenario challenge: “Maybe make the questions more challenging or add more depth to the scenario to challenge our learning more” and expanding the learning opportunity by “providing more feedback on every response option,” such as it being “helpful to have more detailed explanations on why incorrect answers are incorrect.” In terms of content, participants suggested developing VGS scenarios with more diversity and greater emotional depth in the game, for example, “Encountering some emotion or difficulty with the client would have been beneficial,” and recognizing the complexity of practice that is not reflected in a single correct response option. Players’ technical and accessibility suggestions (n = 4) included the addition of audio to response options and subtitles. Overall, multiple students expressed positive feedback and reported enjoyment in playing the game (n = 18). Despite providing necessary technical information in advance of participation, some students still noted difficulties with video playback directly related to bandwidth and browser compatibility, which needs to be taken into consideration when considering inequities in internet access across the student body.

Table 3. Player’s inventory experience open-ended item.

Item: Please let us know if you have any suggestions to improve the VGS in the future?
Themes (N)	Subthemes
Increasing learning opportunities (23)	Access the VGS in different aspects of the curriculum Increasing challenging scenarios Increasing the opportunity of learning through in-game feedback
Content-related improvement (10)	Developing of VGS with more diversity Greater emotional depth in the game Realism issues
Technical and accessibility issue (7)	Addition of audio to response options and subtitles Bandwidth and browser compatibility

Note. VGS = virtual gaming simulations.

Discussion

The process of collaborating across faculties with both students and faculty members was an invaluable learning experience for everyone involved. Learning about the various professional standards, ethical obligations, dilemmas, and learning needs faced by each individual discipline as well as those that were shared contributed to building new cross-disciplinary relationships and pedagogical approaches. Learning in this way is a step toward addressing the documented limitations in professional practice that strategies used by one discipline are not often familiar to the other (Banks et al., 2019). Students participating in the VGS will also have opportunities to reflect on how cross-disciplinary collaborations might enhance their own practices. In addition, the development of new virtual learning tools and being able to evaluate them from the user experience will enable future iterations to be improved on and made available for future cohorts of both students and faculty. These tools may also be used for continuing professional education, as discussed below, and the project also allowed us to make connections in our communities that we will continue to develop as we explore this possibility.

Implications for teaching

This project created ample opportunities for cross-disciplinary connections and communication as well as tangible tools to support long-term effects for greater professional competency. In addition, the products created may also provide a promising avenue for continuing education opportunities for both students and practitioners working in their professions who may benefit directly from the educational materials developed. For example, once fully revised and retested, the research team intends for the VGS to be made available for other academic institutions and community-based agencies to support advanced professional development of individuals already working in the field in the three professions. Learning about trauma-informed and intersectional pedagogical approaches to teaching about sensitive topic areas like IPV/GBV is critical for all educators and professionals in social work, nursing, and law.

Limitations and future research

This study was conducted at one university with a small group of students (N = 60) at one point in time as a single pilot project and therefore there are limitations to both our learnings and findings; however, the learnings will lead to a refining of the VGS tool and future applications for study. This project opened up additional avenues for the research team in considering needs for future exploration to be more focused on learning outcomes for SBL approaches and not simply learner experiences. This will contribute to the growing evidence base of the value of SBL in the formation of competency-based learning. Student and faculty feedback will inform future endeavors as well as adjustments to the current SBL’s design.

Conclusion

The goal of this project was to improve access to EL through the use of virtual technologies and to foster increased competency in addressing experiences of IPV/GBV as well as developing IPE opportunities through a sustained commitment to VGS integration within each of our faculties (social work, nursing, and law) and across the university community. Through collaborating directly with students as members of the research team, consumers of the products, and future ambassadors for the use of SBL we kept student learners at the center of our practice. The research team consisted of members from the faculties of Social Work, Nursing, and Law, who collaborated to conduct a scoping review, develop resources, and measure the efficacy of SBL as a teaching and learning tool for the topic of IPV. Overall, the virtual simulation game created by the research team was positively received by students according to both qualitative and quantitative measurements. By using a strong pedagogical approach through Kolb’s (1984) EL theory, we created meaningful and substantial learning experiences, tools for replication and sustainability, and fostered a growing capacity for promoting EL opportunities and setting the groundwork for additional virtual as well as in-person IPE learning opportunities across the academic and practice community.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The funding for this project was generously provided through a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant from the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Notes on contributors

Angelique Jenney

Angelique Jenney is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary.

Jennifer Koshan

Jennifer Koshan is a Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.

Carla Ferreira

Carla Ferreira is an Associate Professor (Teaching) at the University of British Columbia.

Narmin Nikdel

Narmin Nikdel is a postdoctoral associate in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary.

Christina Tortorelli

Christina Tortorelli is a social work doctoral student at the University of Calgary.

Torri Johnson

Torri Johnson is a 4th year Bachelor of Nursing student at the University of Calgary.

Aurora Allison

Aurora Allison is a JD candidate in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.

Breanne Krut

Breanne Krut is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary.

Ambereen Weerahandi

Ambereen Weerahandi is a Masters of Nursing Student at the University of Calgary.

Krista Wollny

Krista Wollny is an Associate Professor (Teaching) in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary.

Nathan Pronyshyn

Nathan Pronyshyn is the Simulations Coordinator within the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary.

Georgina Marie Bagstad

Georgina Marie Bagstad is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary.