BACKGROUND Adequate surgical planning includes a precise understanding of patient-specific anatomy and is a necessity for neurosurgeons. Although the use of virtual reality (VR) technology is emerging in surgical planning and education, few studies have examined the effectiveness of immersive VR during surgical planning using a modern head-mounted display. OBJECTIVE To investigate if and how immersive VR aids presurgical discussions of cerebrovascular surgery. METHODS A multiuser immersive VR system, BananaVisionTM, was developed and used during presurgical discussions in a prospective patient cohort undergoing cerebrovascular surgery. A questionnaire/interview was administered to multiple surgeons after the surgeries to evaluate the effectiveness of the VR system compared to conventional imaging modalities. An objective assessment of the surgeon's knowledge of patient-specific anatomy was also conducted by rating surgeons’ hand-drawn presurgical illustrations. RESULTS The VR session effectively enhanced surgeons’ understanding of patient-specific anatomy in the majority of cases (83.3%). An objective assessment of surgeons’ presurgical illustrations was consistent with this result. The VR session also effectively improved the decision-making process regarding minor surgical techniques in 61.1% of cases and even aided surgeons in making critical surgical decisions about cases involving complex and challenging anatomy. The utility of the VR system was rated significantly higher by trainees than by experts. CONCLUSION Although rated as more useful by trainees than by experts, immersive 3D VR modeling increased surgeons’ understanding of patient-specific anatomy and improved surgical strategy in certain cases involving challenging anatomy.
High school students exposed to early mentorship opportunities and targeted development of critical thinking skills are better prepared for success in higher education. Rural high school students can face barriers that limit access to content experts and scholastic growth. Here we demonstrate the use of a virtual reality (VR) curriculum as a novel method of instruction, fostering mentorship and the development of critical thinking skills. Graduate mentors remotely connected with high school students to facilitate learning using a virtual, dissectible cadaver and volumized medical imaging (CT and MRI). The curriculum features weekly case‐based learning exercises, providing students an opportunity to develop problem solving, critical thinking and oral presentation skills. We hypothesized that VR is an effective method of connecting high school students to graduate mentors and novel STEM learning opportunities, while the VR case‐based curriculum enhances critical thinking skill and helps prepare students to succeed in higher education. Qualitative data assessed critical thinking, problem‐solving skills, student motivation, mentorship engagement, and satisfaction utilizing the VR program as compared to 2D methods. Quantitative data assessed progression of student spatial abilities during the semester. Preliminary findings suggest an improvement in student interest and engagement while promoting intellectual engagement with graduate mentors. Research on the implementation of virtual reality in education is in its early stages, but there is a growing need to investigate the effectiveness of technology in overcoming barriers to learning among high school students. This course is an early exploration of how VR can enhance STEM teaching, improve student learning, and prepare students for success in higher education.
The small scale tourist industry began as a rejection of mass tourism and the consumerist ideals associated with it. The search for authentic experience and authentic culture has become synonymous with small scale tourism and backpacker culture. The rejection of mass tourism typically results in a more culture centered approach to tourism which entails more interactions with locals in hopes of an authentic cultural experience. However, in this article I will discuss the issues that arise with the commoditization of culture and the people of that culture when the search for authenticity is informed by western ideals in the case of Central America and the Caribbean. The inequality between tourist and local plays a role in the commoditization. I will also discuss the impact of western culture on tourist destinations which often manifests in inauthentic McDisney towns, stripped of culture and instead cater to the tourist demands.Ultimately, the search for authenticity has too many contradictions embedded in it making it nearly impossible to attain.Nelson 3
were asked to grade their emotional distress, depression, anxiety, the knowledge and positive experience, etc. The positioning time and positioning accuracy were also evaluated. Results: The negative emotion scores are slightly higher in control group compared with intervention. The intervention group achieves a better knowledge and positive experience. There are no significant differences in positioning time between two groups. Comparisons of positioning accuracy before CBCT calibration shows an improvement in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion:The VR tool can contribute to an immersive experience for patients receiving radiotherapy. Implementation of VR education for patients before radiotherapy was successful in improving knowledge and positive experience and reducing negative emotions. VR education may be a supplement to image guiding, helping patients to obtain a more precise position during radiotherapy.
Distance education is essential to modern education; it is therefore crucial to evaluate pedagogical techniques that provide exceptional and equitable education to remote students. Major challenges of online learning include social isolation, feelings of disconnection, and elevated distraction, resulting in lower engagement, motivation, and performance. The present study utilized virtual reality (VR) to remotely connect rural high school students to graduate student mentors to learn human anatomy. Qualitative data assessed student and mentor motivation, engagement, satisfaction, and overall perceptions while utilizing VR compared to traditional online methods. Quantitative data assessed changes in student critical thinking ability throughout the semester. Results indicated increased motivation, engagement, and satisfaction while learning in VR compared to traditional online methods. Focus group interviews further revealed that participants viewed VR as uniquely valuable for applying knowledge and intuitively understanding spatial relationships. Although modality (VR vs online) did not have a significant effect on critical thinking ability between individual units, further analysis suggested that VR may improve student critical thinking skills longitudinally. Research on the implementation of VR in remote education is in its early stages, but there is a growing need to investigate the effectiveness of immersive technologies in overcoming barriers to distance learning.
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