Article Gold Open Access 2025

The Analytical Gaze of Operators and Facilitators in Healthcare Simulations: Technologies, Agency and the Evolution of Instructional Expertise

Education Sciences
Journal · Vol. 15 · Issue 3 · Art. 347
Abstract

This article analyses the coordination between professionals, students and technology in the communication and appropriation of know-how in healthcare simulations. To be successful, simulations require continuous interventions by professionals (in this case, operators and facilitators), who analyse, assess and reflect on the actions participants take as the simulation evolves. This study builds on interaction analysis of 30 video-documented (15 h) conversations between operators and facilitators in post-simulation discussions of outcomes. The specific focus of the analysis is the nature of work done by operators/facilitators as they analyse and evaluate simulations. The results show the multilayered nature of these analyses. The operators and facilitators show three prominent types of consideration. They (a) calibrate what they have observed, (b) monitor the progress of the scenario as an instructional event, and (c) comment on their own contributions as instructors/participants. All these considerations have evaluative elements, and the agentic nature of technologies, students and professionals is addressed. One general observation of interest is the ways in which simulations provide access to student learning, and how these activities become accessible for professional scrutiny and judgement. © 2025 by the authors.

Keywords

Author Keywords

interaction analysis operators and facilitators in simulations simulation in healthcare instruction simulators in learning technologies and agency

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Sports and Educational Science, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg, Buskerud, Norway
Department of Education, Göteborgs Universitet, Gothenburg, Vastra Gotaland, Sweden
Funding & Acknowledgements
Norges Forskningsråd
Grant: 316212
The research was conducted in Norway as part of the project Professional Education and simulation-based training (PROSIM, 2021\u20132025), funded by Norwegian Research Council, grant number 316212.
Norges Forskningsråd
The research was conducted in Norway as part of the project Professional Education and simulation-based training (PROSIM, 2021\u20132025), funded by Norwegian Research Council, grant number 316212.
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