Case study Multi-course evaluation
What 11 activities showed about learning
A look across 11 activities combining education, virtual-human conversations, and personalized feedback.
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Read the full story In the literature
Published in the ACEhp Almanac - activities evaluated
- 11
- first-session completers
- 273
- organizations
- 4
The approach
A closer look at the first completed session
The challenge
Communication matters in clinical care, workplace discussions, and administrative encounters. The challenge was to bring relevant practice to these different settings while using a consistent way to examine learning.
The activity
Each activity connected subject-specific preparation with a virtual-human encounter, assessment, and feedback. The evaluation examined the first completed session across the activities, rather than long-term progress or repeated practice.
Inside the encounter
Practice for different kinds of work
Learners worked through situations ranging from telehealth consultations to performance discussions. Each activity paired preparation with a conversation, feedback, and assessment.
Establish a baseline
Pre-activity knowledge and confidence measures.
Prepare for the encounter
Brief learning content matched to the scenario.
Practice a conversation
A virtual-human encounter with six to twelve tasks.
Reflect on the session
Post-activity assessment and personalized feedback.
Results & insights
A broader view of learning.
The evaluation reports higher knowledge and confidence after the combined activities. Conversation records add a different perspective: where learners apply an idea, where they miss a cue, and where coaching could help.
Explore the full reportHow learning was examined
The evaluation brings together knowledge and confidence assessments with conversation records from 11 activities.
Explore the activitiesA shared design across settings
The same activity structure supported clinical, communication, and management scenarios without making every conversation identical.
Evidence beyond completion
Assessments and simulated encounters offer complementary views of a session. Completion alone does not describe the quality of a conversation.
A starting point for follow-up
Immediate results can help identify the next coaching priority. Longer-term assessment is needed to understand retention and transfer to practice.
Across the activities
The activities in the evaluation
Tim
Telehealth communication
Elaine
Project management interview
Isabella
Employee assistance counseling
Sam
MIPS interview
Allie
Uncomplicated UTI care · enduring
Harold
Veterinary telehealth
Mark
Healthcare workforce management
Allie
Uncomplicated UTI care · live
Charlotte
Weight-management conversations
Derek
HR performance discussion
Lisa
Medical debt collection
Study context
How to read
these results
How it was evaluated
The analysis includes 273 people who completed a first session across 11 activities delivered from July 2024 through July 2025.
The report uses weighted activity averages. Knowledge is measured using correct responses; confidence and simulation performance use five-point scales.
What this evaluation can tell us
There was no control group. The evaluation cannot isolate the contribution of simulation from the other parts of the activity.
The activities cover different topics and learner groups. Immediate assessment does not establish sustained behavior change or patient outcomes.
The full case study
Read the full evaluation
The full report includes the study design, participant context, detailed measures, and findings.
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Also published in the Almanac 
