Comparing Animation with Video For Teaching Communication Skills

In this paper, we describe a case study that compares the use of animation and video for teaching communication skills to pharmacy students. We present an appropriate framework outlining the key communication criteria that were used to develop a three part, patient-pharmacist communication scenario. This scenario was scripted, filmed in a community pharmacy, and edited into a six minute sequence before being converted to an equivalent animation sequence by using digital filters. Both the video and animation were compared in a usability trial using 37 students studying pharmacy. These students were divided into two groups, each experiencing either the video or animation sequence before being asked to provide subjective feedback of the usefulness of the approach for teaching communication. Both the video and animation group provided equivalent positive feedback about the approach. The two groups then experienced the alternative representation, either video or animation and were asked to nominate a preference. Both groups indicated a significant preference for the video presentation. It is recognized that the design and style of the animation may impact on the general validity of these outcomes and as such the paper also provides a detailed discussion of relevant design issues.