For the first time in Wales, two universities, have co-operated together to launch a joint spinout company. Following collaborative post doctorate research and development work undertaken by the two institutions, the University of Glamorgan and the University Of Wales College of Medicine have formed Authentic World® Ltd.
The development team, comprising Dr Keith Weeks (UWCM), Norman Woolley (UoG), and George McWhirter (UWCM) has spent the last 18 months working on the design and development of the first ‘Authentic World®’ learning environment. This is an innovative educational software application that develops key medication dosage calculation skills in pre-registration health care students and in registered practitioners requiring orientation or re-orientation to the health care arena. The original idea for the software was developed by Dr. Keith Weeks during PhD research supervised at the University of Glamorgan, and its unique educational design underpins the Company’s portfolio of extended technologies and added value services.
Professor Donna Mead, Head of the School of Care Sciences at the University of Glamorgan said “This is a really exciting development for the School. It has been gratifying to see doctoral work result in a commercial product. So often research theses lie on library shelves and the findings from such studies are not used in practice. Via Authentic World we will be able to ensure that the findings and developments from this study will be accessible to practitioners. This important software will be available to solve real world practical problems.”
Authentic World® Ltd will focus initially on the research, design, development and delivery of products and services in the medication dosage calculation market. It aims to market its products and services, as summarized below, to HE institutions, hospitals and Health Trusts both in the UK and internationally.
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Assessment and evaluation of student and registered health care practitioners’ performance in the calculation of prescribed medication dosages.
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Training and support services for the development of dosage calculation problem solving skills.
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Diagnostic assessment, comprehensive performance analysis and certification of achievement level in dosage calculation.
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Software applications to facilitate the above services.
Professor Ann Tucker Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies at UWCM said "This is a really exciting development that has taken a great deal of hard work. It is rewarding to see doctoral work resulting in a product that has the ability to enable practitioners to gain confidence and competence in calculation skills. I am so pleased that it has reached this point."
Significant national and international interest has already been shown in the software. The design of this interactive learning environment is based on contemporary constructivist theories of learning. Via the use of multi-media technology it captures the medication dosage problem artefacts and expert problem solving techniques employed by clinically based health care professionals, and authentically reproduces these on a computer and web-based platform. The program employs the principles of 'cognitive apprenticeship' and ‘scaffolding’ to facilitate and authentically assess users’ construction of the critical problem solving and calculation skills required to solve these real world problems.
Previous research has shown that the Authentic World® learning environment framework:
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Is reliable and highly effective at rapidly enhancing nurses’ calculation skills
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Is predictive of performance in clinical practice
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Provides for truly authentic assessments - that is, the software assesses skills in a way which simulates real world environments
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