Computer simulations can provide guided practice for a variety of situations that pre-service teachers would not frequently experience during their teacher education studies. Pre-service teachers can use simulations to turn the knowledge they have gained in their coursework into real experience. Teacher simulation training has come a long way over the past few decades, from the “stop video method,” virtual puppetry, and Multi-User Virtual Environment to single user simulations in which the simulation has pre-programmed responses to complex threads of interactions between the preservice teacher and the simulated student. There are a number of single user simulations for teacher training, including those focused on classroom management, identifying at-risk students, and bullying prevention. Computer simulations aren't intended to be a substitute for hands-on classroom experience; rather, they provide specific skill-building lessons to teacher candidates. This history and overview of computer simulations will help teacher educators know what simulations are available and choose the best tools for their training programs.

To support the global restart of elective surgery, data from an international prospective cohort study of 8492 patients (69 countries) was analysed using artificial intelligence (machine learning techniques) to develop a predictive score for mortality in surgical patients with SARS-CoV-2. We found that patient rather than operation factors were the best predictors and used these to create the COVIDsurg Mortality Score (https://covidsurgrisk.app). Our data demonstrates that it is safe to restart a wide range of surgical services for selected patients.

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