Introduction High costs and inaccessibility are significant barriers to face-to-face basic surgical skills (BSS) training. Virtual classrooms enable the combination of computer-based learning with interactive expert instruction. They may optimise resources and increase accessibility, facilitating larger-scale training with a similar educational benefit. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of virtual BSS classroom training compared to both non-interactive video and face-to-face teaching. Method 72 medical students will be randomly assigned to three equal intervention groups based on year group and surgical skill confidence. Interventions will be implemented following an instructional video. Group A will practice independently, Group B will receive face-to-face training, and Group C will attend a virtual classroom. Participants will be recorded placing three interrupted sutures with hand tied knots pre- and post-intervention, and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) will be blind marked by two experts. Change in confidence, time to completion and a granular performance score will also be measured. Each intervention’s feasibility and accessibility will be assessed. Results Data collection will be completed in February 2021. Significant improvement in OSATS within groups will be indicative of intervention quality. Difference in improvement between groups will determine the relative performance of the interventions. Conclusion To our knowledge, this will be the largest randomised control trial investigating virtual BSS classroom training. It will serve as a comprehensive appraisal of the virtual classroom’s suitability as an alternative to face-to-face training. The findings will assist the development of further resource-efficient training programs during the COVID-19 pandemic and afterwards.

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Observed influences of system response delay in spoken human-machine dialogues are rather ambiguous and mainly focus on perceived system quality. Studies that systematically inspect effects on cognitive performance are still lacking, and effects of individual characteristics are also often neglected. Building on benefits of cognitive training for decelerating cognitive decline, this Wizard-of-Oz study addresses both issues by testing 62 elderly participants in a dialogue-based memory training with a virtual agent. Participants acquired the method of loci with fading instructional guidance and applied it afterward to memorizing and recalling lists of German nouns. System response delays were randomly assigned, and training performance was included as potential mediator. Participants’ age, gender, and subscales of affinity for technology (enthusiasm, competence, positive and negative perception of technology) were inspected as potential moderators. The results indicated positive effects on recall performance with higher training performance, female gender, and less negative perception of technology. Additionally, memory retention and facets of affinity for technology moderated increasing system response delays. Participants also provided higher ratings in perceived system quality with higher enthusiasm for technology but reported increasing frustration with a more positive perception of technology. Potential explanations and implications for the design of spoken dialogue systems are discussed.

Robotic surgery training has lacked evidence-based standardisation. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of adjunctive interactive virtual classroom training (VCT) in concordance with the self-directed Fundamentals of Robotic Surgery (FRS) curriculum. The virtual classroom is comprised of a studio with multiple audio–visual inputs to which participants can connect remotely via the BARCO weConnect platform. Eleven novice surgical trainees were randomly allocated to two training groups (A and B). In week 1, both groups completed a robotic skills induction. In week 2, Group A received training with the FRS curriculum and adjunctive VCT; Group B only received access to the FRS curriculum. In week 3, the groups received the alternate intervention. The primary outcome was measured using the validated robotic-objective structured assessment of technical skills (R-OSAT) at the end of week 2 (time-point 1) and 3 (time-point 2). All participants completed the training curriculum and were included in the final analyses. At time-point 1, Group A achieved a statistically significant greater mean proficiency score compared to Group B (44.80 vs 35.33 points, p = 0.006). At time-point 2, there was no significant difference in mean proficiency score in Group A from time-point 1. In contrast, Group B, who received further adjunctive VCT showed significant improvement in mean proficiency by 9.67 points from time-point 1 (95% CI 5.18–14.15, p = 0.003). VCT is an effective, accessible training adjunct to self-directed robotic skills training. With the steep learning curve in robotic surgery training, VCT offers interactive, expert-led learning and can increase training effectiveness and accessibility.