Most digital teaching methods demonstrated positive effects on practical skills acquisition, particularly simulation-based, VR-supported or interactive formats, but effect magnitude and consistency varied substantially¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Across included studies, most digital teaching methods showed positive effects on practical skills acquisition, especially simulation-based, VR-supported or otherwise interactive formats. → Stamer Tjorven 2026 q3 i? The magnitude and consistency of these effects varied substantially across disciplines and study designs. → Stamer Tjorven 2026

Evidence¶

Stamer Tjorven 2026¶

Stamer Tjorven, Machinek Nora, Steinhäuser Jost, Goujard Mathilde, Flägel Kristina. (2026). The role of digital teaching methods in supporting practical skills training in the academic training of health professions – a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-08785-9

q3 · i? · review · r2

The review's narrative synthesis across its 292 included studies. It reports that "most digital teaching methods demonstrated positive effects" on practical skills acquisition while explicitly flagging substantial variation in magnitude and consistency across disciplines and designs.

"Across the included studies, most digital teaching methods demonstrated positive effects on the acquisition of practical skills, particularly simulation-based, VR-supported or otherwise interactive formats. The magnitude and consistency of these effects varied substantially across disciplines and study designs."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• A scoping review identified 292 studies of digital teaching of practical skills, with simulators (n = 65), blended/hybrid formats (n = 55) and VR (n = 48) the most frequent intervention types — related
• VR tools enhance acquisition and retention of clinical and procedural skills but face barriers including cybersickness, limited tactile feedback and variable long-term skill transfer — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Virtual reality was particularly effective for procedural skill development and knowledge retention in paediatric undergraduate training — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Simulation Based Education Improves Outcomes — a broader claim this one bears on
• Simulation Based Education With Deliberate Practice Improves Clinical Outcomes — a broader claim this one bears on
• Across the reviewed studies, simulation-based interventions consistently improved paediatric undergraduate learning outcomes, including clinical reasoning, procedural skills and confidence — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• VR training's effect on OSATS-assisted skill acquisition shows conflicting evidence — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Feedback-oriented and interactive instructional methods are associated with improvements in clinical reasoning, procedural skills, and learner confidence in orthodontic postgraduate education — related