Since 2017, our team has been working to address the critical issue of newborn mortality by using affordable and accessible mobile virtual simulations to help health professionals maintain their knowledge and skills.

The Problem of Neonatal Mortality

Our team has over a decade of experience in developing and evaluating virtual reality simulations for health professional education using an iterative, human-centered design approach with local and global stakeholders.  

vENC is conceptually based on an adult learning theory called Ericsson’s deliberate practice paradigm, which states that learners should practice their skills with expert coaching and feedback until they can perform the skills well.  vENC simulations are built on a modular, expandible framework using the Unity platform with scenarios that build skills through repetition of important steps, guidance, and real-time feedback. Performing the correct actions with few or no hints is necessary to achieve a passing score and advance to the next level.  

The research/quality improvement vENC version features offline data collection and upload of metrics to support instructors in identifying gaps in learning and skills.