OpenBSLab
The OpenBSLab (Open Bio-safety Lab) is a virtual training environment for health workers learning to handle hazardous substances in a Bio-safety Lab (BSL), which is being developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
Objective
Handling and management of pathogens are an important part of basic infectious disease education, which is required for further strengthening the response capability to bio-terror crises in recent years. It has been pointed out that specialized education of bio-risk management is necessary for handling infectious specimens in clinical practice and for researchers who conduct study on these specimens. Internationally, the establishment of education that fosters the ability to properly manage bio-risk is required for experimenters to continue research activities in perfect environments. Focusing on case studies of accidents and near misses, we developed OpenBSLab (Open Bio-safety Lab), an interactive immersive environment based on the 3D Internet (virtual worlds), which implements a self-learning method and is available anytime from anywhere.
Methods
On the supposition of accidents and near misses which may occur in clinical or microbiology laboratories, we created a 3D virtual experimental laboratory and considered a scenario where an avatar has a fluid dispersion accident in the laboratory. We examined a role playing game method which enables to change and simulate developments by setting multiple strategies and sorting reactions of learners.
Results and Discussion
Current limitations in 3D techniques confined the scale and movements of the avatar. Nevertheless, when being asked to respond to developing situations, learners could re-assess their behaviors and ideal responses. The trial program remains restricted to the basic design (specific depiction of the laboratory and equipment) and the implementation of the scenario (risks deriving from equipment, in particular). However, difficulties in reproduction by video and limitations of development variations suggest the possibility that create variations ranging from the worst case to proper cases that could be presented in 3D virtual space. Along with technical innovation in this field, the method can be expected to be an educational method for the video game generation.
Conclusions
We can anticipate a good learning effect on people taking the course by not just showing the correct answers easily after questions, but by repeating the immersive training that interactively changes through a trial and error process. Education with programs using 3D virtual worlds is a promising method for educational effects similar to real experiences in realistic settings.
