Abstract:

Objective To design and explore the practice effect of teaching in dying and death care based on situated cognition and learning. Methods Based on the theory of situational cognition，silver hour was taken as the conceptual framework，combining the anchor based teaching mode with the characteristics of death education courses. The situational cognition teaching for medical students’ near death care courses was designed. In application，42 medical students who took the elective course named end-of-life care education were recruited through cluster sampling method. The teaching activity included pre-class self-learning，classroom teaching，and after-class reflection，and the teaching effect was evaluated. Results The simulated performance of four groups of students was good，with an average score of 80.25±5.78. The three themes of post class reflection and refinement by students were summarized，including a deeper understanding of the responsibilities and missions of medical students，recognition of situational simulation teaching methods，and the "win-win" effect of practical communities. Conclusion The teaching design of dying and death care based on situated cognition and learning provides medical students with a relatively safe and immersive learning environment，forming a new student-centered classroom teaching form. Additionally，this practice provides reference for the development and promotion of end-of-life care education courses in medical colleges in China.

Key words: Care, Situated cognition and learning, Dying and death, Communities of practice