Innovative Design of a Virtual Simulation-Based Practical Teaching System for the Hui Elderly Care Services and Management Program

Abstract

This study addresses the practical need for cultivating high-caliber technical and skilled professionals in the field of smart elderly care services and management. Following a scientific research methodolog-namely"problem-oriented approach–model development–practical validation – iterative optimization"-the study focuses on the cognitive characteristics of learners at the specialized education level and the patterns governing the development of job-specific competencies. Moving beyond the limitations of previous research, which often merely enumerated platform functionalities or elaborated on macro-level concepts, this study aims to establish a new practical teaching paradigm that combines theoretical rigor with instructional feasibility. To address structural challenges prevalent in virtual simulation-based practical teaching within higher vocational institutions-such as high equipment idle rates, a disconnect between operational procedures and real-world job requirements, and lengthy student onboarding periods-the study employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods to integrate the competency-based vocational education approach with the embodied cognition theory. It proposes a tripartite design logic comprising "task-driven approach–minimalist interaction – embedded assessment." At the methodological level, a controlled experimental design was utilized; the core performance indicator, the operational compliance rate-was defined in accordance with the national standard GB/T 37276-2018, while the student self-rated confidence scores were simultaneously collected using the Likert 5-point scale and the emergency response duration metric, thereby enabling multidimensional triangulation of skill acquisition outcomes. At the practical implementation level, a comprehensive "three-module, two-pathway" teaching system was developed, comprising 12 simulation task scripts based on actual equipment models, accompanying task cards, and five sets of standardized formative assessment scales; this system was then deployed and integrated into the curriculum at the on-campus training center.