Incorporating immersive learning into biomedical engineering laboratories using virtual reality

Abstract

Background The Covid-19 pandemic caused a sudden shift towards remote learning, moving classes to online formats. Not exempt from this switch, laboratory courses traditionally taught in-person were also moved to remote methods, costing students the opportunity to learn these skills hands-on. In order for instructors to provide course materials effectively and engagingly, non-traditional methods should be explored. Virtual reality (VR) has become more accessible in recent years. VR simulations have been used for many years as educational tools in high-risk settings such as flight or medical simulations. Immersive VR videos implemented in a remote laboratory course could provide the students with an engaging and suitable learning experience. To test the effectiveness of VR videos as a tool for remote education, VR videos of the laboratory component of a Biomolecular Engineering course were provided to students. A survey was distributed for students to self-report their experience with the videos. The survey contained quantitative and qualitative ratings of VR as an educational tool. Results The survey showed that students (~ 89% strongly agree or agree) believed the videos provided the opportunity to work at their own pace and were an appropriate length. While ~ 74% of students said that the videos provided enough information to understand the tasks, a small percentage felt that the videos improved their retention (~ 16%) and understanding (~ 9%) of the course material. About 28% of the students responded positively when asked about how VR videos improved their engagement with the material. ~ 30% reported confidence in applying the skills learned in the videos in the future and ~ 43% believe the VR videos were an acceptable alternative to in-person labs. Two-thirds of students reported feeling some form of discomfort while viewing the VR videos and 54% reported not using the headset for the videos and using the 3D video feature instead. Conclusions As many students reported the videos containing appropriate information, the content of the videos was not an issue. A combination of improved camera quality with motion stability, more comfortable headsets, and a reduction in editing issues could greatly improve the quality and effectiveness of VR videos.

Virtual Reality to Teach Students in Laboratories: A Bibliometric and Network Analysis

“…The Table S11 in Supporting Information 1 provides access to all these metrics. Among the co-occurrences between keywords from different groups, after VR-Simulation (21) and VReducation (17) 91 and a VR electronics engineering lab. 74 Additionally, examples of publications where VR and Training were cited together include experiments with a VR civil engineering Lab, 92 a VR clinical Lab, 93 and a VR Automotive Lab.…”

“…Among the co-occurrences between keywords from different groups, after VR-Simulation (21) and VR-education (17), the highest are VR and Engineering education (technology-target audience, cited together in 12 articles), VR and Training (technology-purpose, cited together in 7 articles), and Computer-Based Learning and Undergraduate education (purpose-target audience, cited together in 7 articles). Examples of VR and Engineering education publications include experiments with a VR biomedical engineering lab and a VR electronics engineering lab . Additionally, examples of publications where VR and Training were cited together include experiments with a VR civil engineering Lab, a VR clinical Lab, and a VR Automotive Lab .…”

“…The first aspect to be observed is the increasing number of publications from 2016 to 2021 with a peak of the articles in the latter. The number of works related to virtual laboratories and immersive environments had a vigorous increase in 2020 and 2021, probably due to the use of this technology in many universities, research centers, and health research to avoid social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. ,,, Virtual laboratories and other virtual environments, in general, do not need to be installed on educational institutions’ computer laboratories, allowing students and researchers to study and work from home, as well as being able to improve the learning experience of students. , …”

Prospects of augmented reality and virtual reality for online education: a scientometric view

“…Numerous global studies have demonstrated that AR or VR systems and environments accelerate the acquisition of knowledge and skills by students more than any other instructional method (Wilkerson et al, 2022;Mohammadyari and Singh, 2015). Alike any other emerging technologies, the scholars wish to investigate the future prospects and potentials of immersive technology like AR and VR in mounting virtual education.…”

Enhancing Medical Education for Undergraduates: Integrating Virtual Reality and Case-Based Learning for Shoulder Joint

“…Traditional Case-Based Learning (CBL) is a proactive, problem-oriented teaching method that integrates real-life scenarios into the educational process. However, the outbreak of Covid-19 led to a shift towards online formats, and traditionally face-toface laboratory courses were also moved to remote methods [13]. In recent years, as VR has become increasingly popular, it has started to be applied in conjunction with CBL in the eld of medical education, providing students with speci c training scenarios to facilitate the transformation of theoretical knowledge into clinical practice experience [14].…”