Abstract
Simulation and other forms of digital learning will occupy a place of increasing prominence in medical education in the future. However, to maximally use the potential of these media, we must go beyond a research agenda dictated by a ‘Does it work?’ question to one driven by careful analysis of the nature of the task to be learned and its relation to the characteristics of the technology. Secondly, we must change the focus from the characteristics of individual devices to a broader approach to design of a digital curriculum based on current understanding of the nature of human learning.