Experimental design deck for clinical research: A new learning resource in aid of scientific thinking

Abstract

The Experimental Design Deck for Clinical Research is a simulation of a problem in experimental design in a card deck format. It is intended to stimulate the development of skills in scientific thinking by allowing the student, in a self-directed fashion, to design a clinical trial to test either a given hypothesis (specific deck) or a hypothesis that the player provides (general deck). In addition to its use as an educational tool, the Experimental Design Deck can be used as a guide to the application of scientific thinking in a variety of biomedical activities. It can easily be modified for application to problems in nonmedical research and evaluation.